Barbie Made of Ocean Trash Sails Into London to Raise Awareness

In a striking blend of art, science, and environmental activism, a life-sized sculpture made entirely from ocean plastic is on display aboard the historic tall ship Oosterschelde, now docked in London.

The sculpture, dubbed “All of Me”, was crafted by artist Daniela Raytchev using plastic waste collected from the coastlines of Brazil and Uruguay during the Darwin200 voyage, an initiative retracing Charles Darwin’s historic route to raise awareness about biodiversity and conservation.

Inspired by the Jane Goodall Barbie (itself made of recycled plastic), the figure is a jarring, almost nightmarish representation of the 11 million tons of plastic that enter our oceans annually.

Despite physical injuries sustained while working with toxic, sharp waste, Raytchev says the pain was worth the message: that every piece of plastic has a cost, and every action we take matters.

The sculpture is being auctioned to support Darwin200 and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots UK.