A gauze bandage fish with plastic in its tummy

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Make a fish from chicken wire, gauze bandage and plastic waste. Shape the chicken wire into a fish and fill it with plastic. Cover the fish with gauze bandage and paint it. Make a hole in the fish's tummy to show the plastic waste. Add speech bubbles to start a conversation about plastic in the oceans.

#v15682

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How to do it

Start by collecting plastic waste from the home to use as filling for the fish. Plastic which has been in contact with food products must be cleaned.

Cut a piece of chicken wire measuring approx. 60-70 cm using side cutters. Fold over.

Make the fish's tail by squeezing approx. 6-10 cm from the end where the chicken wire ends are gathered. Fold the sharp cut-off ends inwards so that they aren’t exposed. Make the fish's head at the opposite end by squeezing as shown in the photo.

Make a peephole in the tummy by braiding black yarn into the chicken wire, making a circle with a diameter of approx. 7-8 cm. Tie a knot and trim the ends.

Fill the fish with plastic waste. Place plastic bags, bubble wrap etc. at the bottom and place the small plastic items on top so that they are visible through the peephole. You may cut large plastic items into smaller pieces. Now cover the fish with wide masking tape but do not cover the peephole. Attach card fins and cover them with masking tape.

Make a hole at the top of the fish using pointed scissors. Thread a large loop of florist wire through the hole for hanging later. Check that the fish is hanging straight. You may try several times before the hole is in the right place.

Remember to use disposable gloves. Cut out pieces of gauze bandage, soak them in water and wrap around the fish. Smooth them out as you go along. Start on one side (the back) and let the fish dry slightly before continuing on the other side (the front). Avoid covering the peephole in the tummy. You will need approx. 1 roll of gauze bandage per fish and drying time is min. 24 hours.

Paint the fish with, for example, A-Color acrylic paint. Paint one side first (the back), leave to dry completely and then paint the other side (the front).

Make the fish's eye by dabbing white opaque paint onto both sides using a foam stencil brush. Leave to dry.

Cut out a speech bubble from card using the template while the fish's eyes are drying. Write a statement about plastic pollution in the oceans using a black Plus Color marker. Finish the fish's eyes with the same marker.