Plastic Rivers
Press Release StorePlastic Rivers is a monumental collection of rugs woven with yarn made from recycled plastic debris. The rugs portray precise renderings of aerial images of some of the planet’s most polluted rivers. Thus it’s become a product manifesto that conveys a critical perspective on plastic contamination, particularly in our vital bodies of water, as for the global commercialization of waste from rich to poor countries. The Plastic Rivers rugs are much more than a sophisticated work of protest design. The rugs were handcrafted by artisans, stitch by stitch, pixel by pixel, to recreate aerial Google Earth panoramas of the rivers featured in the collection. Despite their imposing proportions and strong aesthetics, the rugs blend almost seductively into any space.
Crafted using the hand-tufted technique, the rugs in the Plastic Rivers collection are made without knots, using yarn produced from recycled PET plastic bottles. The uniqueness of the product lies in the fact that the recycled materials used in its composition were gathered from the immediate vicinity of the river Ganges, one of the rivers represented in the collection. The textile work is carried out by GAN’s team of local artisans at workshops in India. The result is a very soft, resistant, and durable weave that makes you wonder whether it is really made of PET and not wool. But unlike a wool rug, the Plastic Rivers rugs are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and their 100% recycled composition makes them fully recyclable at the end of their long life. This design project is a custom assignment between Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and the Spanish company GAN Rugs.
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges process. Video by ACdO
- Color section for Plastic Rivers. Photo by ACdO
- Color section for Plastic Rivers. Photo by ACdO
- Making of Plastic Rivers. Video by ACdO
- Making of Plastic Rivers. Video by ACdO
- Making of Plastic Rivers. Photo by ACdO
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.2 Indus. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.9 Niger. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.1 Yangtze. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges Close-up. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Exhibition SWC NY. Photo by ACdO
- Exhibition SWC NY. Photo by Amir Shams
- Exhibition SWC NY. Photo by Amir Shams
- Plastic Rivers No.9 Niger. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Top view Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges. Photo by ACdO
Plastic Rivers
Plastic Rivers is a monumental collection of rugs woven with yarn made from recycled plastic debris. The rugs portray precise renderings of aerial images of some of the planet’s most polluted rivers. Thus it’s become a product manifesto that conveys a critical perspective on plastic contamination, particularly in our vital bodies of water, as for the global commercialization of waste from rich to poor countries. The Plastic Rivers rugs are much more than a sophisticated work of protest design. The rugs were handcrafted by artisans, stitch by stitch, pixel by pixel, to recreate aerial Google Earth panoramas of the rivers featured in the collection. Despite their imposing proportions and strong aesthetics, the rugs blend almost seductively into any space.
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges process. Video by ACdO
- Color section for Plastic Rivers. Photo by ACdO
- Color section for Plastic Rivers. Photo by ACdO
- Making of Plastic Rivers. Video by ACdO
- Making of Plastic Rivers. Video by ACdO
- Making of Plastic Rivers. Photo by ACdO
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.2 Indus. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.9 Niger. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.1 Yangtze. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges Close-up. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Exhibition SWC NY. Photo by ACdO
- Exhibition SWC NY. Photo by Amir Shams
- Exhibition SWC NY. Photo by Amir Shams
- Plastic Rivers No.9 Niger. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges. Photo by GAN Rugs
- Top view Plastic Rivers No.6 Ganges. Photo by ACdO
Crafted using the hand-tufted technique, the rugs in the Plastic Rivers collection are made without knots, using yarn produced from recycled PET plastic bottles. The uniqueness of the product lies in the fact that the recycled materials used in its composition were gathered from the immediate vicinity of the river Ganges, one of the rivers represented in the collection. The textile work is carried out by GAN’s team of local artisans at workshops in India. The result is a very soft, resistant, and durable weave that makes you wonder whether it is really made of PET and not wool. But unlike a wool rug, the Plastic Rivers rugs are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and their 100% recycled composition makes them fully recyclable at the end of their long life. This design project is a custom assignment between Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and the Spanish company GAN Rugs.
