When the Shanghai summer has got you sweating, heading to the nearest Family Mart to find a refreshing ice lolly is often the order of the day. However, this fascinating art project may have you thinking twice about dipping your hand into the freezer. Last week, three Visual Communications graduates from National Taiwan University of the Arts unveiled a wall of 100 meticulously wrapped-and-numbered lollies all made from polluted water collected from various sources across Taiwan.
The project aptly titled 'Polluted Water Popsicles' saw Hung I-Chen, Cheng Yu-ti, and Guo Yi-hui trekking Taiwan's biggest cities for over a year to collect different types of polluted water. Not the usual pub crawl that most students find themselves on...
From left to right: Cheng Yu-ti, Hung I-Chen and Guo Yi-hui. (Credit: 爱思青年)
For example, 'Popsicle No 7' is made of water from a creek that flows through the University's campus. Chung had investigated onsite and found that a build up of garbage and weeds had caused the distinct putrid smell oozing from the body of water.
Examples of popsicles from the 'Polluted Water Popsicles' project. Credit: 爱思青年
The colours of the wrappers are also symbolic of the degree of pollution. Red and purple stand for severe pollution; orange and purple are medium; bright blue indicates that the water comes from well-maintained water sources; geometric patterns are for more complex states of pollution.
The 100 popsicles at the show. (Credit: 爱思青年)
The lollies include bits and pieces of everyday waste such as plastic bags and bottles - a far cry from a coating of sprinkles or chunks of chocolate. Also, don't mistake the bright yellow ones for tropical fruit flavours, the colour actually comes from industrial dye. Here are a few more pictures from the show for you to ponder on. They look tasty, right..?
Popsicles from the 'Polluted Water Popsicles' project. (Credit: PatterBank)
More from the 'Polluted Water Popsicles' project. (Credit: PatterBank)
Close up of popsicles showing polluted substances. (Credit: PatternBank)
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