Beautiful Garbage

The theme of this poster is the unbelievable heaps of garbage that humans produce every day. Disguised as a picturesque landscape with a Far Eastern appeal, which beholders recognise as garbage landscapes only upon a closer look, the poster aims to raise awareness of the sheer dimensions of this problem and shows that we continue polluting our environment day by day. At first, viewers believe they are looking at mountains, kept in romantic black and white and protruding through the clouds, with birds circling high in the sky. However, when looking more closely, they reveal themselves as flies and the clouds are vapour and stench rising from the garbage piles. Such piles of garbage are to be found particularly in developing countries, where they not only pollute the ground and environment directly, but also indirectly affect the health of humans and animals in the long term. Due to the highly aesthetic appeal and the elaborately designed visual illusion, the message evinces an even more intense and striking effect. Statement by the jury »This poster perplexes. Instead of a traditional ink drawing meticulously crafted on Japanese paper, the charming mountain landscape, upon a closer look, turns out to be a garbage pile of biblical proportions. This visual shock is healing as the message hits the heart directly. This work also shows how culturally specific characteristics can be integrated into modern communication without forfeiting global impact.«