The Hai Yu Bu Lang transforms discarded advertising fabric into dynamic "pixel waves". [Photo/Tide News]

Students from the China Academy of Art visited Xinluotou village in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, using recycled marine waste to create public art installations and cultural products this summer.

Teamed up with students from Zhejiang Ocean University, these students drew from disciplines including public art, sculpture, fiber arts, visual communication, architecture, and printmaking. Their installations reuse discarded fishing nets, plastic bottles, and metal debris, transforming them into large-scale public art pieces.

The upgraded work Hai Yu Bu Lang (Wave of Sea Whispers) repurposed old advertising fabric into a pixelated sea wave, inviting visitors to write their messages to the ocean on its surface. Another work, Jia De Fang Xiang (Direction of Home), symbolizes belonging with a beacon-like sculpture facing a real lighthouse across the sea.

The team also developed creative products, including jewelry, resin furniture, and woven bags made from recycled plastic waste. Local villagers participated in the design, production, and sales, creating a sustainable cycle.

Education efforts were expanded to include hands-on creative workshops for children and their families, further integrating art into village life. Zhoushan authorities plan to apply this model of combining environmental awareness, community engagement, and artistic creation in other coastal villages.