On May 11, 2017, during the 31st ASEAN Summit on Coastal and Marine Development, a 73-feet decomposing blue whale was unveiled on the shores of one of the most polluted cities in the Philippines. As people looked closer, they saw it was made entirely of plastics. A disturbing photo of the whale was posted by a local on social media, and was immediately shared by netizens. Hours later, a Facebook Live report was posted online covering the news about the “Dead Whale,” and what followed next was a barrage of posts on social media which caught the attention of ASEAN officials.

The “Dead Whale” idea sparked when consecutive news on dead whales with plastic-filled stomachs in Europe and in the Philippines, arose. Because the Philippines is the 3rd highest contributor of plastic wastes in the world, Greenpeace visualized the worsening plastic pollution through a massive Dead Whale installation made of plastic wastes to urge officials and the public to solve the issue. The installation imitated the features of a real decomposing blue whale with a bloated underbelly.

Installations made of plastic wastes have been used by different organizations and artists to bring awareness on plastic pollution and other environmental issues. Although they were only deemed as public display for viewing or amusement. Most of these installations are even mounted in environments where it does not depict a natural scenario.

The difference with the “Dead Whale” was its realistic appearance—slimy innards, bloated underbelly, grimy textures covered in blood—and its placement on a real beach shore caught people’s attention, like all other news about dead whales. But what made them more invested in the dead whale was the realization that it was made entirely of plastic wastes. It became a wake-up call for them, and not only did they share photos and videos of the dead whale online, they also created conversations and debates in comments section, vying for their stand on plastics pollution.