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You’ve got to hand it to whoever came up with Messy the COP Ness Monster. Not one but two top-quality puns in the name. And no, Messy isn’t dedicated to the feds, the po-po, the rozzers – wrong ‘cop’. It’s a sculpture to mark the COP26 climate summit soon to be held in Glasgow.
Messy is made entirely out of recycled jeans and other sustainable materials, and it will be at Grosvenor Square from October 29 to November 12. The sculpture is a collaboration between artist Billie Achilleos, WaterBear, a streaming platform that exclusively shows content dedicated to saving the planet, and MUD Jeans – the world’s first circular denim brand.
The idea is that Messy is supposed to ‘raise awareness of the polluting effects of denim on the environment’. Apparently it will be ‘proof that unlike the Loch Ness Monster, living a more circular lifestyle is easy, simple and certainly not a hoax.’
In the first few days visitors can donate their old jeans at the installation, which will then be upcycled into new jeans or recycled into something else. And if you’ve managed to live your life so far without buying any denim whatsoever, fear not – OXFAM and slow fashion champions House of Baukjen will be taking other types of clothing.
COP26, also known as the UN Climate Change Conference, will run from October 31 to November 12. It’s being held at Glasgow’s SEC and aims to bring together countries and people from around the world to tackle climate change.
The UK is at the helm – which some might see as a bold move given that the government recently gave the green light to dumping literal rivers of poo into the UK’s rivers, lakes and seas. Oh well, I'm sure we're all used to the greenwashing by now.
The ‘denim-drop’ at Messy the COP Ness Monster will take place on October 29, 30 and 31 at Grosvenor Square (W1K 2HW). Entry is free.
For while you're in the West End: Jamie Demetriou's guide to Leicester Square