Surrounded by some of the most beautiful and clear waters in the world, it’s impossible to think of Ibiza without dreaming of the glittering Balearic Sea. And with the global awareness around plastic pollution and its devastating impact on our oceans continuously rising, every year a new wave of environmentally minded projects washes across our island’s shores.
Home to an eclectic melting pot of artists and creative minds from all over the world, 2020 has seen the launch of a bold and colourful collaboration that fuses make-up, hair and fashion artistry to stunning effect. Recycle Your Mind is a charity calendar that highlights the havoc plastic pollution wreaks on the Balearic Sea, and beyond.
Under the creative direction of make-up artist Raquel Lopez Parejo, a team of gifted beauty professionals, photographers, models and graphic designers came together to pour their individual skills into this passion project with a message. Using bold colours, shiny sequins and seashells – as well as single-use plastic items we all encounter in everyday life including bottle tops, nets and plastic wrap – the end result is striking.
Raquel says, “I believe that art benefits our world by creating a better vibration. I based this project on what my own inner self was asking me to learn, searching for new social habits and eliminating those that have led us to do damage to our Mother Earth.
“Recycle Your Mind consists of a selection of subliminal images whose purpose is to attract the attention of society through visual art. The photography by Camilla Camaglia, together with make-up of a high creative level directed by Einat Dan, shows the kind of single-use plastics that end up on our beaches on a daily basis. Through what I call ‘art for social change’, we want to raise awareness of the damage to the sea caused by human behaviour, and ask people to NOT DROP PLASTICS INTO THE OCEAN.”
With further support from Raquel Gonzaga, Giada Gilardonni, Maria Artaechevarria, Maleeq Oz and Arturo De Laso, as well as a selection of mesmerising faces from Ibiza-based talent agency Deva Models, the captivating protest against plastic pollution was brought to life.
Before the current Covid-19 crisis put a halt to the global tourism and gastronomy industries, 2020 was going to see the launch of a government-backed plan to stop the sale of single-use plastics in the Balearic Islands. The initiative was, and remains, strongly supported by local environmental projects Plastic Free Ibiza and Plastic Free Formentera – both founded by the Ibiza and Formentera Preservation Fund – who will benefit from the profits of every 10€ calendar sold.
The Recycle Your Mind charity calendar is stocked by a selection of island retailers including Eivissgarden, Biosmell, Roots, Estudio de Laso, Elocogic, Can Oliver, Pranathy Herboristeria, Can Fresco, TheHub.Ibiza, Coco Isla Online Shop, Peluqueria Ghala, Meri Make-Up School, Mandala Asesores de Imagen, and Elisa Garcia Academy. However, during the strict conditions of the State of Alarm declared by the Spanish Government, it might not be possible to pick up your own calendar from the shops for the foreseeable future.
If you can’t wait to adorn your walls with the eye-catching images, we suggest you contact your retailer of choice directly to enquire about stock and postal options. To find out more about the project or to make a donation, visit www.gofundme.com/recycle-your-mind.
