New York: ‘The Plastic Bag Store’ opens to raise environmental awareness; see pics

Creation of Brooklyn based award winning artist Robin Frohardt, ‘The Plastic Bag Store’ is a public art installation which will be free and open to the public from October 22 to November 7. Shelves at the store will be loaded with tons of original, hand-sculpted items which will all be made from ‘discarded, single-use plastics in an endless flux of packaging’. As per arts.timessquare.nyc, the store will transforms into an immersive for a film in which ‘inventive puppetry, shadow play, and intricate handmade sets tell the darkly comedic, sometimes tender story of how the overabundance of plastic waste we leave behind might be misinterpreted by future generations’.

(Image Credits: http://arts.timessquarenyc.org)

(Image Credits: http://arts.timessquarenyc.org)

(Image Credits: http://arts.timessquarenyc.org)

The Plastic Bag Store to open amid the pandemic

Talking about initiative, Robin said, “The Plastic Bag Store is a visually rich, tactile, and humorous experience that hopefully encourages a different way of thinking about the foreverness of plastic, the permanence of the disposable, and that there is no ‘away’ when we throw something out. It is my attempt to make something authentic and human from that which is mass-produced. There is great humor to be found in the pitfalls of capitalism, and I find that humor and satire can be powerful tools for social criticism especially with issues that feel too sad and overwhelming to confront directly”. The exhibition will take place at 20 Times Square. Initially, the installation was to begin in March, however, it had to be postponed due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak. 

Read: Shakespeare's First Folio Collection Sells For Whopping $10 Million At New York Auction

The opening of the exhibit will conflict with the reinstatement of New York’s plastic bag ban. Director of Times Square Arts, Jean Cooney said, "Within the unassuming, amusing, and completely illogical proposal of a ‘plastic bag store,’ Robin is addressing capitalism, consumerism, and climate change, and asking big questions about how what we value the least can become our most consequential inheritance. At the same time, this project is shifting our perception of our everyday surroundings - once you visit The Plastic Bag Store, you can’t unsee that our irrational and outrageous relationship to plastic is real". 

Read: Judge Refuses To Block New York COVID-19 Restrictions

Although the event will be free to attend, it will require registrations. Also, all the safety measures will be taken to prevent the virus from spreading. As per eventbrite.com, groups of 12 people or less will be able to attend the exhibition in hour-long intervals. Exhibition times will begin from 1:00 pm and continue till 7:00pm. For those who will be unable to attend the exhibition in person, can visit the newsletter of Times Square Arts to receive all the updates. 

Read: New York: New Cluster Of Coronavirus Cases In Brooklyn Causes 'significant Concern'

Also Read: Quarantined In New York, Kristina Mladenovic Wins Doubles In Paris

(Image Credits: TimesSquareNYC/YouTube)