Today, Bank Australia unveils a striking one-day installation at Sydney’s Martin Place. The Aquarium of Tomorrow, made from plastic waste, is a provocative vision of our ocean’s possible future.
With an estimated 21,000 pieces of plastic in the ocean for every person on Earth, this ‘plastic smog’ is doubling roughly about every 6 years*. This activation makes the issue of plastic in our oceans is impossible to ignore.
The thought-provoking installation features life-sized marine creatures, from the ghostly ‘Clingray’ to the drifting ‘Bagglefish’, each sculpted from plastic debris commonly found polluting the ocean. The activation celebrates the launch of leading customer-owned and B Corp bank, Bank Australia’s new recycled plastic card. The card body is made from 100% recycled plastic, with 64% collected from coastal communities by Parley for the Oceans, a global network using creativity and collaboration to protect and reimagine our relationship with the oceans.
Created by Adelaide-based and globally exhibited (Saatchi Art, Tokyo Art Fair, Zurich Sustainability Week), Swapna Namboodiri, the installation aims to help visitors visualise and imagine a potential future where marine biodiversity has been replaced by plastic pollution.
“Through the Aquarium of Tomorrow, I want to create a visceral connection between the beauty we’ve lost and the plastic we’re creating,” said Swapna Namboodiri. “By transforming plastic waste into these creatures, we’re asking viewers to confront what we’re leaving for future generations, and to consider how our choices today can reshape tomorrow’s oceans.”
The installation follows findings from the Bank Australia Nature and Climate Survey, which found that 95% of their customers express moderate or extreme concern about plastic pollution. The activation serves as a creative response to these concerns and aligns with the bank’s broader mission to support responsible, sustainable solutions.
Bank Australia Head of Brand, Nicole Hunter said: “Today’s installation makes the issue of plastic pollution impossible to ignore. It is a powerful way to mark the launch of Australia’s first translucent card made with plastic waste collected by Parley for the Oceans ; a small but significant step in offering customers a more sustainable way to pay with a physical card.”
Visit the Aquarium of Tomorrow, and bankaust.com.au to see how our choices today shape the future we leave behind.
Bank Australia exists to inspire and empower our customers to use their money to create a world where people and the planet thrive. We are 100% customer-owned, a certified B Corp and we aim to be Australia’s most trusted bank. Our commitment to responsible banking means we focus our lending and investments in areas that do good, not harm, for people and the planet. We support more than 190,000 customers and we’re the custodians of more than $11.7 billion in assets.
About Swapna Namboodiri
As a multidisciplinary artist , Swapna’s art practice is inextricably intertwined with sustainability and is deeply rooted in the exploration of discarded materials and transforming them into meaningful sculptural artworks. Through the process of deconstruction and reassembly, she aims to challenge perceptions of value and waste, highlighting the beauty and potential of materials that have been overlooked or discarded by society. Her artworks are an expression of sustainability, creativity, and the constant evolution of form. By working with upcycled materials, she not only reduces waste but also celebrates the tactile and transformative nature of these objects. Each work is a dialogue between the past and present, inviting viewers to reflect on their relationship with the objects around them, as well as the impact of consumption and disposability in our world.
Parley for the Oceans is a global environmental organisation working at the intersection of creativity, science and activism to protect our oceans. In Australia, Parley partners with local communities, businesses and governments to address marine plastic pollution, drive education initiatives and support the transition to more sustainable materials and systems through its AIR Strategy (Avoid, Intercept, Redesign).
*https://www.marketforces.org.
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