Here at MSLK we are keenly interested in the effects of society’s mass consumption of plastic. It seems that the things that are most transient to us such as disposable bags, silverware, applicators, packaging and bottles are made from plastic, a material that is very enduring. What happens when we are done with these single use items? Where do they end up? And more importantly how many of these things are we mindlessly using every day?

As designers, we at MSLK feel compelled to challenge ourselves to raise awareness on the environmental issues facing society. Not only does it put our talents to good use but it also encourages our clients to think about green alternatives. In 2008, we created the eco-art installation Urban Tumbleweeds, a 1/2 mile long chain featuring 2663 plastic shopping bags, a number equal to 1 second of US consumption. In 2010 our installation Take-Less exposed the fact that each second 2629 take-out meals full of plastic components are consumed in the US.

In 2009, our second installation, Watershed, featured 1500 disposable water bottles and again highlights only 1 second of US consumption. Mixed throughout both installations are signs with facts about the dangers of this rate of consumption and what the public can do to make a change.

It seems to us that if there is one area we can quickly and succinctly eliminate the need for additional plastic waste, it is in our consumption of plastic water bottles. There once was time when water was not bought or sold but rather consumed straight from the tap and we need to evolve back to this simpler, more efficient method.

Hence the title, Watershed.
wa·ter·shed (wô’tər-shěd’, wŏt’ər-) n. A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point: “a watershed in modern American history, a time that … forever changed American social attitudes” (Robert Reinhold)

At each and every event, Watershed offered a water bottle refilling station featuring NYC tap water, and challenged participants to shed the feeling that they need to purchase water in plastic bottles when we have the best quality drinking water in the world coming out of our taps!

Watershed’s flexible format allowed the installation to be effective in various environments—from industrial loading docks to more rural settings. To date, Watershed has reached over 1 million people in over 63 countries through its installations at the FIGMENT Art Festival, D.U.M.B.O Art Under the Bridge Festival, and at the global premiere of the film “The Age of Stupid,” It has been covered in publications such as  Design Observer, Inhabitat, Treehugger, GD USA, The New York Post, and recognized with an AIGA (RE)design Award for sustainable design.

In addtion, our work creating this and our eco-art installations has become widely recognized as an innovative form of marketing. Somewhere between a new form of street art and guerilla marketing, it’s been dubbed an “Urban Intervention” in the new book of the same name by Gestalten Press.