“Desert Rose” was inspired by my time living in the UAE. I was always so amazed when driving pass, a camel and to see them in the desert especially if there was a small calve.

During a camping trip in the desert, I experienced first-hand how many trash people make and then just leave it in the desert. Plastic bags flying around trash bags filled and empty cans was not the best look for what was thought to be a pristine desert. One in two camels dies due to consuming a large amount of plastic, making this a massive issue and a treat to camels and other wildlife that call the desert home.

The title of the art piece is named after one of Sting’s songs, Desert Rose. After listening to Sting live in Dubai, it made me think a bit deeper about what a desert rose would look like if she were to create one. She wanted to tell the story of the camels and how these beautiful creatures we associate with the desert is crying out for help.

The camel is wrapped in single-use aluminium coffee capsules. I added my version of dessert roses all over the camel, also made from the coffee capsules. I hope with this piece that we look at the desert with a new perspective and to do our part to keep it clean and keep the camels and animals safe.

Title: “Desert Rose”

Dimensions: 280mm x 220mm

Medium: Mixed Medium (Paper and Nespresso Capsules)

About the author, Mariska

Hi and welcome! My name is Mariska. I am originally from South Africa, but now call the world my home. I am an artist, designer, environmentalist, podcast host and speaker.

I started the Mama Earth Talk podcast in 2018 to share some of the things that I learned about just how easy it can be to reduce your impact on the environment. This then quickly grew into a forum that showcases the amazing things that many people are doing to make the planet better, and further into a source of hope and inspiration for many. A few of the amazing guests include Zero Waste Queen, Bea Johnson, Claude Silver, Kathryn Kellogg and zero waste chef Max La Manna.

If you do not already I urge you to follow me and my journey on social media (@designbymariska), and to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot your own waste using the handy tips I post!