The World Wide WHAT Interactive Art Project

Join the WHAT

WHAT is an art project - and you are hereby invited to take part in it!

Expressed more precisely, WHAT is an interactive project, where a random group of people contribute to a better world through art and personal action. 

It consists of many WHAT pieces, each unique, being passed around the world. The goal is to install and share the project with your real and virtual communities, thereby starting a conversation about plastics.   

The artwork aims to make contributors feel empowered to take action. It serves as a civic protest to the higher bodies. And finally, it demonstrates the power of a single word. 

WHAT will you do to eliminate single-use plastics?  

If you want to read more, click here. And to see the list of countries, click here.

WHAT to do?

Since you read this, you probably just received one of the WHAT artworks that are travelling around the world or just got picked/spotted and want to know how to join the World Wide WHAT. 

Well, it’s actually quite simple! 

Just take an eye-catching WHAT photo or make a WHAT movie/film and share it on your Instagram account. And voila, you’re in, taking part in the big picture!

When sharing WHAT on Instagram

All you need to do is tag the person from whom you received the WHAT piece, @yarnomaniac and #WHATaboutplastic. By doing this, your contribution immediately becomes a part of the World Wide WHAT artwork, gets a chance of being presented as a contributor in a World Wide WHAT book AND you make it possible for others to backtrack the WHAT going from the hands of one person to another, crossing borders around the world. 

Where and how to mount / install the WHAT?

Only creativity rules, so you just place a WHAT wherever you like to make it as eye-catching and spectacular as possible. Put it on a plain in Mongolia, set it in a big TV show or get your pic in a camel race. It’s good - but not at all necessary - to put it in places where street art is not usually seen, like among Tibetan monks or on a mountaintop. Just go for the personal touch, whether you like it to be beautiful, quirky, poetic, funky, hilarious or WHATever. Maybe with local people in front of or in abandoned places? Anything will do as long as you stay true to your creativity ;-)

WHAT materials you might need:

Metal clips = About 8 pieces when mounting/installing on metal fences. 

Yarn/ribbon = Also good for installing on metal fences. 

Adhesive plastic wall hanging hooks (12 pcs are included with WHAT) and doubled sided tape = great for any other surfaces. (Simply mount the hooks one by one while you hold and place WHAT at the same time.)

Maybe you prefer to use other things, and that’s totally okay. As long as you clean up and take good care of the environment, no harm is done!

Please note

I will kindly ask you to take good care of the artwork while in your possession. (Do you know how long it takes to transform plastic bags into yarn and crochet a WHAT? Approximately one full week, hence why I’m a bit keen on protecting it!) 

If the WHAT artwork breaks?

Please fix it with tape or send me a DM @what_about_plastic. I will help in any way I can. 

If WHAT disappears

WHAT won’t disappear as long as you keep an eye on it, so please don’t leave it unattended. You never know, WHAT might happen to it, if you leave it hanging. The worst thing that can happen is it gets carried away by the wind or water and ends up polluting the very nature we are hoping this campaign will protect - this would be unbearable! So please keep an eye on it. 

How to travel with WHAT 

WHAT can fit into a large shoebox. It can be carried in a shopping net or backpack as hand luggage if you want to bring it with you on a journey. It weighs almost nothing - approximately 800 grams. 

If WHAT gets wet?

WHAT floats and that’s pretty neat, but when it gets wet, it takes a couple of days to dry. Hang it on a clothesline or balcony ensuring that it won’t blow away and please remember: Using a hairdryer is not such a good idea! 

You submitted an Instagram post - now WHAT? 

Please arrange a handover or forward the WHAT to a person who you feel would be a great WHAT participator. 

(This might be a person you know or one whom you follow on Instagram. It’s entirely up to you. Bonus points if the person also wants to take good care of our planet,  is someone who can create a beautiful photo/movie post on Instagram or someone who has a large social media following; the more people who see the WHAT and get involved the better.)

Next, please forward the WHAT (including the installation hooks and received envelope) either by airmail or ordinary mail with track and trace. The sooner you can send the WHAT onward, the better!

Finally please send this link (www.whataboutplastic.com/WHAT) to the recipient to ensure they have the necessary instructions. 

WHAT a giant thank you!

Thank you ever so much for taking the time to participate in the World Wide WHAT art project. I really wish I could thank you in person for making an effort to share the artwork as well as the message. THANK YOU ever so much!

I look forward to the day when WHAT has visited EVERY country around the world reminding one and all: WHAT have you/we/I done to eliminate harmful single-use plastics. At that time our united art project will be completed. 

The WHAT will, however, continue it’s journey and mission until we’ve achieved a worldwide ban on plastic bags.

You are one hell of a nice and cool girl or guy for participating. You’ll now have your name mentioned in the World Wide WHAT book and maybe also your photo, so please remember to send it (in highest quality) to my e-mail: theyarnomaniac@gmail.com.

Stay tuned, stay free of single-use plastic and stay true to your creativity. 

With love and devotion,

Yarnomaniac