By Reyanne Mustafa
Beachy, Canggu landscape, surf, and good vibes.
That was the creative brief I received from Rip Curl Indonesia when they commissioned me to create an art piece for their new store opening at Canggu Beach in Bali: to connect customers to the ocean through a captivating visual experience.
It sounds simple, right? I had a huge space to cover—about three meters by three meters. Oh, and it had to be finished in two weeks, three weeks tops. As I wrapped up the meeting with Rip Curl’s marketing director, I nodded confidently. "Yes, of course, I can get it done." Meanwhile, inside, my mind was racing. How am I going to pull this off? I don’t even have a proper art studio right now.
But, as with most things in life, I smiled and convinced them (and myself) that it was totally possible. After all, fake it till you make it, right?
The Ocean Calls... With Trash
At that moment, I was wrapping up a six-week contract with 4ocean, creating social media content that delved into the lives of their team members. The folks at 4ocean are the real deal—passionate, driven, and on a mission to rid our oceans of plastic. I’d spent weeks filming their crew, learning their stories, and feeling deeply inspired by their work. I didn’t know it yet, but the connection I’d built with their artisan team would end up being the key to unlocking this project.
If you’ve ever been to Canggu Beach, you know it’s a little slice of paradise… except for the plastic.
While I was living in Bali, every morning, I’d either try to catch a few waves or take a peaceful beach walk and it was hard not to notice the piles of trash—fishing nets, cigarette butts, plastic bags—piling up along the shore. Before the vendors and cleanup crews arrived around 8 a.m., the beach looked like a landfill. It was heartbreaking.
One morning, just after my Rip Curl meeting, I was dragging a tangled fishing net off the beach, fighting the sand and driftwood, when inspiration struck. These fishing nets had become part of the beach. And I realized: they could also be part of my art. Bingo.
Weaving Plastic into Art
The idea started to take shape: I would incorporate those ghost fishing nets into the piece. Over the next week, I did what I like to call “R&D”—which, in this case, meant experimenting with all kinds of ways to twist, thread, and weave those nets into something beautiful. No luck. Time was ticking, and I knew I needed help.
That’s when I reached out to my talented friend Bree Brooks, a seascape painter whose work is nothing short of breathtaking. Bree surfs too, so she understands waves and the soul of the ocean. I knew she could help me bring the Canggu coast to life. After several FaceTime calls, Google Map screenshots, and some pretty laughable sketches from me, Bree agreed to paint the seascape for the piece.
We decided she would paint the ocean, leaving the land bare for me to fill with the plastic. I loved the idea of the contrast—her beautiful waves against the mess we’ve made on land. It was going to be a huge task, but I knew we were onto something special.
The Real Magic
The painting was one thing, but weaving plastic into a canvas? That was a whole new challenge. I needed backup. Thankfully, I had just worked closely with the 4ocean artisan team—women who hand-assemble the bracelets 4ocean sells to fund their ocean cleanups. These women are masters of weaving, and I thought, ‘Who better to help me thread these nets?’
I pitched the idea of a collaboration between Rip Curl and 4ocean: what if we created this piece together? Rip Curl loved it, and we were off to the races. Not only did they agree to the collaboration, but they also took it a step further. Proceeds from the store’s merchandise sales would go directly to funding 4ocean cleanups. The collaboration was a match made in heaven—Rip Curl, an ocean-inspired brand, and 4ocean, an ocean-saving force. Business romance at its finest.
Building the Piece, One Knot at a Time
Once Bree had finished her stunning painting of the Canggu coastline, it was time to get to work. Operation “put trash on it, but make it beautiful” was officially underway.
4ocean provided amazing support, sending ten of their fastest local artisans to help. For the next twelve days, we worked side by side, tying knots, threading nets, and mixing in the vibrant green thread made from upcycled plastic that 4ocean uses for their bracelets. The women lived in a small fishing village on the eastern edge of Bali, and many of them had never done anything like this before. For them, this project wasn’t just about weaving nets into a canvas—it was about learning new skills, working as part of a team, and getting paid a wage they typically didn’t have access to.
We spent long days in the sweltering heat, transforming ghost nets and plastic into something beautiful. The jungle portion of the artwork was made almost entirely from 4ocean’s thread, blended with the nets we pulled from the beach.
What had once been trash was becoming art.
Weaving a Story of Unity
This experience was more than just creating a beautiful piece for Rip Curl’s store—it was a lesson in the power of collective action. Every knot we tied, every piece of plastic we repurposed, was a testament to what we can achieve when we work together. None of this would have been possible on my own. It took Bree’s incredible artistic vision, the skilled hands of the 4ocean artisans, and the support of both Rip Curl and 4ocean to bring this vision to life.
It wasn’t just about making something aesthetically pleasing—it was about telling a story. A story of what’s possible when individuals come together for a common goal. A story that shows us how we can take something destructive, like plastic waste, and turn it into something that inspires change.
The materials we used—fishing nets, upcycled plastic thread, and ocean debris—tell a powerful story of the ocean’s reality. But they also tell a story of hope. Yes, we need to stop producing new plastic, but we also need to get creative about how we deal with the plastic that’s already out there. This piece was just one small example of the endless possibilities for turning waste into something meaningful.
The Power of Collective
As the final knots were tied and the piece came together, I realized how much this artwork mirrored the collaboration that made it possible.
Every individual effort—every stitch, every brushstroke—was part of a larger whole. Just as we combined our talents to create something beautiful, we can also combine our efforts to protect the ocean.
We live in a world facing enormous challenges—climate change, ocean pollution, environmental destruction. It can feel overwhelming at times. But this project taught me something important: we’re not alone. When we come together, whether through art, activism, or simply picking up a piece of trash on the beach, we can make a difference.
This art piece, now proudly displayed at Rip Curl’s Canggu store, stands as a symbol of what’s possible when we unite for a common cause. It’s a reminder that the power of collective action can transform not just a canvas, but the world around us.
And this collaboration with Rip Curl and 4ocean? It’s just the beginning. Imagine what we could accomplish if we all rallied together to protect our oceans and our planet.
Comentários