In 2018, I received an email from Sagarmatha Next, an NGO in Nepal.
They wanted to know if I might be interested in collaborating with them to use art to tackle the waste problem in the Everest region.
At the time, Everest was getting a lot of negative press about becoming the world’s tallest landfill – and they had a new, novel, and exciting idea on how to tackle it.
Unfortunately, the project ended up falling through due to logistical and budgeting challenges and I remember feeling sad that my chance to see this part of the world had vanished.
Little did I know, that almost 6 years later I would get a second chance thanks to an unexpected ally: A global cosmetics brand company called Kiehl’s.
This is what we did together:
But what is Kiehl’s connection to Everest?
In 1988, Kiehl’s sponsored the first-ever summit of Everest without supplemental oxygen. They wanted to test out their products and creams in an extreme environment… and were horrified to learn years later that what used to be a pristine mountain had turned into the world’s tallest landfill.
As a result, they decided to sponsor Sagarmatha Next’s Carry-Me Back program, a broader global campaign around the hashtag #DontRebuyJustRefill, and a pair of installations that I helped bring to life: one in New York City, and one in the Himalayan mountain range to connect our cities and nature.
And my relationship with Kiehl’s?
Well, that story also begins way back in 2017 – when I was introduced to Maggie Kervick by a mutual friend. At the time, she worked for another company – but she never forgot my art and that conversation.
Today, she’s their VP of Sustainability – and as they were designing their global #DontRebuyJustRefill campaign – she reached out to explore whether I might be interested in collaborating.
During the research phase of our project, I introduced them to Sagarmatha Next and their Carry-Me Back Program: A crowd-sourced waste management project that invites hikers to bring pre-sorted and crushed recyclable waste back down the mountain and dropped off at the local airport.
They loved the idea so much that they chose to sponsor multiple seasons – as well as an art installation at 12,500 ft elevation to drive even more people to participate in the program and inspire the global community to opt for refillable formats when able, to help reduce single-use plastic waste.
What is Sagarmatha Next anyway?
Sagarmatha Next is the world’s tallest upcycling design showroom, located at 3800m elevation, nestled in the Himalayan Mountain range. Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mount Everest, and means “Goddess of the Sky”.
Their center is located directly on the path to Everest Base Camp, conveniently intersecting tourists and using the power of art and design to inspire them to protect nature. They host international artist residencies , and split the profits from the art sales to support both the artists and the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee.
The installation was made from used tents scavenged from Everest Base Camp.
With over 60,000 tourists streaming in every year to visit Base Camp – we decided to build our installation with the ubiquitous yellow tents that had neared the end of their lives by cutting them into thin strips and knotting them down onto our metal structure. The bright yellow color would ensure that the installation would stand out like a sore thumb.
Since the closest road was over 3 days hike away, we only used structural materials that were available in the area.
Construction debris is common within Sagarmatha National Park due to the presence of many indigenous communities. For our art installation, we collaborated with local Nepali artists Roshan Mishra and Dipak Lama, who repurposed materials found in the area. They constructed the metal structure using discarded rebar and prayer flag poles, and fashioned nails from a rusted oil barrel
In an awe-inspiring place like Everest, the trash problem feels particularly acute.
Since everyone is coming here to experience nature, waste feels particularly out of place. It’s the perfect place to challenge everyone to rethink our culture of mass consumption and to recognize that so much work needs to be done if we want to protect this planet for ourselves and future generations to come.
The Carry-Me Back program alone is not going to solve this issue – but it is a first step, inviting everyone to get involved – so that hopefully when they go home to their busy cities, they remember what needs to be done next.
And for those of us who live in cities – the same problem exists at an even bigger scale. We’ve just gotten so good at ignoring it.
In our busy man-made concrete jungles filled with convenient trash collection and street cleaners, it’s easy to believe that trash just gets taken “away”.
That’s why Kiehl’s decided to commission a second art installation. This one, directly on the High Line in the heart of New York City during Earth Month – to highlight the importance of refillables.
There is no silver bullet to solving the plastic pollution problem but one thing we can do is #DontRebuyJustRefill when possible.
Working together with so many different partners who care about protecting our planet has been such a privilege.
It reminds me that it is only by working together do we stand a chance of defeating the single-use plastic problem, with each and every one of us bringing our unique strengths to the table to fight for what we care about.
Although we may live on opposite sides of the world, those who care about similar issues will find a way to work together – and there’s something so beautiful about that.
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Credits:
Everest Installation:
- Artist: Benjamin Von Wong
- Cinematography: Manuel Gussmann
- Artist Assistants: Dipak Lama
- Lead Producer: Roshan Mishra
- Production Support: Prakash Baraili, Subash Baraili, Biplove Lama, Angela Lama
- Special thanks to:
- Tommy Gustafsson – Sagarmatha Next for hosting us and helping to produce the installation
- Fredrik Estrom – ivar.studio for additional B-Roll footage.
- Agent: Suzy Johnston + Associates
New York Installation:
- Artist: Benjamin Von Wong
- In collaboration with @Kiehls – part of their #DontRebuyJustRefill campaign
- With the support of Earth Day and Friends of the High Line
- Technical Design: @design_by_grm
- Cinematography: @ManuelGussmann
- Plastic Collection: @nycfairtradecoalition
- Fabrication, Engineering, Installation, and Design: SFDS
- Engineering Drawings: Theta Consulting
- Volunteer Coordination: Suzanne Ventura / @Greeningfullife
- Volunteer Management: Sharon Stokes
- Special thanks to SIMS Recycling, Maison Jar, Pier 57, and Plugdin for location support
- End Credit Song: @HilaTheEarth
- Agent: Suzy Johnston + Associates
- Volunteers: Abby Curtis, Aileen Apuy, Aayush Baral, Alexa Del Rosario, Alicia Duvall, Ally Xiong, Amanda Beauchamp, Amy Zheng, Anchal, Andrea Fernandez, Angela Li, Anissa Benadrete, Arman Singhal, Ashley Giles, B Dominguez, Brittany Baginski, Celia Kutcher, Camy Mathlouthi, Carmen Shum, Caroline Wojtowicz, Catherine Schuller, Celestine Chong, Chaewon Lim, Cindi Clark, Cortina Lilley, Communal Sole Student Group, Cashonee Wimbush, Dauly Cuello, David Montini, Diane Chung, Dr. Kate Hallet, Eden Mili, Elena Calvo, East Side Community High School, Emily Perlman, Erin Forden, Faroz Mujir, Faith, Gina Keatley, Ghizlane Sabbahe, Geoffrey Guilcapi, Grace Bristow, Gretchen Young, Growing Up Green Charter School, Green and Blue Eco Care, Hansa Hatrote, Hailey Arango, Haris Kaminari, Hideka Minami, Hope Endrenyi, Illia But, Isabel Renjifo, Iz Haskel, Jasmine Le, Jacqueline Deprey, Janelle Adamska, Jahaira Catana, Jacquith ‘Raka’ Loney, Jillian Perko, Joe Leone, Julie Thibault-Dury, Julia Mesner, Jude Nicastro, Kamilia Camy, Kate Phillips, Kelsea Valentine, Kirsten Hrobsky, Leah Moss, Luciana Jaalouk, Llonice Strayhorn, Luz Martinez, Lovely Diala, Luise Philomena, Madina Rajapova, Mariah McKenzie, Margaux Koutros, Matthew Chavez, May Gong, Megan Geer, Megan Lau, Michael Lopez, Milena González, Molly Rose Levine, Myan Melendez, Nia Brewster, Naomi Montes, Navrose Bajwa, Naz Fisher, Peter Lee, Preston Blair, Ravi Varma, Rhee, Raymond Perdomo, Roxanne Jackson, Ruth Wang, Sean Leone, Sarah Eisner, Sham Mosher, Sophie Major, Soleil, Shivani Shukla, Stacey Kuffuor, Tara Hatzidakis, Taesha Okoasia, Truc Nguyen, Vivian Lin, Viola Tan, Weiyun Chen, Yelle Belle, Zoe Tank, Camilo Cardenas.