Mermaids with a Porpoise

Helen and Sally dressed as 13 foot long reclaimed plastic mermaids on the rocky seashore

Our 2023 launch saw us “washed up” on the shores of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia and Runswick Bay in East Yorkshire, England, as 13 foot long reclaimed waste mermaids to highlight the amount of plastic waste in the sea for World Ocean Day 2023.

You’d need 42 of Helen’s tail - or 30 of Sally’s tail - to mirror the amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean every second. Every second!

The mermaid outfits took over 300 hours to create using reclaimed waste such as plastic bottles, balloons, lids, coffee pods, medicine blister packs, foam mats and broken toys.

As the mermaids we were featured in mass media including Channel 10 News, Channel 7 News, BBC News and The Times.

And we’ve been on tour at festivals, events and workshops all over Sydney and the UK.

A woman dressed as a mermaid with a colorful tail made of various candies and holding books, sitting on a rock by the ocean with an island in the background, during daytime.
A young girl holding a book titled 'The Great Crabby' on a sandy beach with rocks, smiling and covering her mouth. In the background, a colorful sea creature sculpture made of fabric and buttons sits on the rocks, with four other children sitting around it, reading or observing.
Woman dressed as a mermaid with a sequined tail and a blue, ocean-themed costume holding a book, standing on a sandy beach with rocks and ocean waves in the background.
Two TV presenters sitting in a studio with a large, colorful art piece of a mermaid made from plastic and fabric, with a background screen showing a similar scene.
A woman dressed as a mermaid holding a sign that reads 'Leave Nothing But Memories' at an outdoor event with a large peace-themed sign overhead that says 'Peace is the dream of a shared human soul that we build every day with forgiveness and kindness and hope.' There are people and food stalls in the background, and the woman is wearing a costume made of blue and green materials, with a long mermaid tail and a decorative top, standing on grass next to a pile of colorful stuffed toys.