A practice team from the School of Sculpture and Public Art at the China Academy of Art, in collaboration with Zhejiang Ocean University, has turned discarded marine waste into public art and cultural products during a weeklong rural development project in Xinluotou village, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province.

Centered on the theme of "telling local stories with local materials," the project focused on four areas: village research, marine ecology education, skills training for local women, and the creative reuse of marine waste.

The students surveyed the village's coastal landscape and fishing culture while collecting and documenting marine debris, including abandoned fishing nets, driftwood, floats, and metal parts. Rather than treating these materials as waste, they viewed them as records of the village's fishing heritage and daily life.

Students also organized marine ecology workshops for local children, teaching them about coral reefs and ocean conservation through hands-on art projects using recycled materials. Meanwhile, local fisherwomen joined patchwork workshops that transformed old fabric and discarded fishing nets into handcrafted bags featuring traditional Zhoushan patterns.

The team emphasized that the project extends beyond artistic display. By developing designs and production methods that local residents can adopt, the program aims to create sustainable cultural products while promoting marine conservation and supporting long-term rural development.

The bags made by the fisherwomen of Xinluotou village in Zhoushan. [Photo/The official news website of Zhoushan]

This marine organisms soft sculpture series is made from marine waste. [Photo/The official news website of Zhoushan]