Life-size light sculpture made from reused plastic bottles inspires change in London

Veolia in partnership with New West End Company (NWEC) and Westminster City Council are presenting this festive season The Giving Bear - a life-size light sculpture of a polar bear, made from reused plastic bottles.

The installation will be displayed in Westminster’s Mount Street Gardens, from 9 December 2019 to 6 January 2020 and aims to symbolise important messages on climate change and homelessness.

The Giving Bear has been created by students from Kingston School of Art’s Creative Industries.

Developing an engaging narrative about the bear’s journey, the students incorporated themes of environmental awareness and vulnerability into the design. Using upcycled wood and over 3,000 plastic milk bottles, they turned the story into a stunning reality. 

The Giving Bear illustrates the story of a polar bear who loses his home as a result of climate change. Finding himself homeless in London’s Mount Street Gardens, he encounters unexpected kindness through a small gift that reminds him of home. 

Visitors can use the fixed £3 tap point to give a gift to the Hidden Network, a group of charities who work with Westminster City Council to end rough sleeping.

This partnership is close to the hearts of Veolia and NWEC, and contributes to Veolia’s ongoing commitment to reduce homelessness through its return-to-work programme, Road to Work, launched in 2017.

Helder Branco, Senior Contract Manager for Veolia, said: “The Giving Bear stands for the positive impact that can be achieved through kindness, community spirit and recycling. I hope the beautiful bear can capture the hearts of all of its visitors, reminding them that being mindful of the planet and all of the beings populating it is important. We will all generate more waste than usual over the festive season, so we’re asking people to consider their waste consumption more closely, and to give to those in need if they can.”

Sara Sutton, Westminster City Council Executive Director of City Management & Communities, said “This inspiring installation highlights the most important challenges we face in Westminster. We hope that The Giving Bear can bring everyone together to help end rough sleeping by supporting our network of hidden heroes and to emphasise the part we can all play in reducing our impact on the environment by recycling more this festive season.”