Clean Hikers, a South Korean hiker group that transforms the litter around hiking spots into art, has gained a lot of attention recently for the innovation of their venture. It was founded by Kim Kang-eun, who visited South Korea’s largest national park, Mount Jiri in 2018 and saw it was littered with garbage.
Ever since then, Kang-eun, along with her group of hikers goes to national parks and other places where hikers flock more frequently and turn all kinds of scrap into art. Random bits of cloth, paper, plasticware or even hiking poles are converted to figures resembling cats, turtles, fish, human faces, etc.
Here are some pictures of the art they have created so far:
In a statement to Reuters about why they chose to go for junk art and how it is impactful, Kang-eun said, “Junk art is more compelling and well received by people, rather than just saying let’s not litter. We can make an interesting image and it attracts people’s attention.”
This brilliant initiative is operating even severely now since South Korean hiking spots and national parks have witnessed a 20% rise in visitors. This is in lieu of the pandemic and how it has restricted gatherings of large groups, which is why more and more people are turning towards outdoor activities.
(With inputs from Reuters)