When I was 12 years old, I visited an exhibition in New York about Climate Change with my grandparents that really moved me, my head was spinning. There were several art disciplines: from photography, video installations, oil paintings, piece design, graffiti... it was fascinating. There I discovered the mythical image on the cover of National Geographic with the Iceberg, the bottom part of which is a plastic bag. All of this had a huge impact on me.

When I returned to Barcelona I started researching plastics, something that already worried me and I learned about the existence of microplastics and how they are already in the food chain without anyone giving it enough importance.

I started drawing, building things with strainers and whatever I found around the house until I created the Jelly Cleaner, my “cleaning jellyfish” with which I not only want to clean microplastics from the surface of the sea, but with which I want to once again, raise awareness about the reality of our oceans and try to prevent their collapse.

The beauty of this utensil is that we can all make it at home with recycled materials. I use plastic bottles (which I do not like at all, but I recycle them by collecting them from neighbors, bars and restaurants in the neighborhood), I also use some old ballet tights, be careful, they have to be made of cotton so that they do not release microplastics, and a piece of rope or string.

You can tie the Jelly Cleaner to your wrist, to a paddle surf or to a kayak and while you enjoy the sea, you are collecting microplastics from the surface. You will also see how people stop you and ask you “what is that strange thing you are carrying” and this is the most important moment, that of raising awareness about the situation of our incredible Mediterranean and the oceans. That they are literally drowning in our plastic, in our garbage.

Here is a step-by-step video tutorial to create your own Jelly Cleaner.

Right now, I’m also working on creating a sustainable Jelly Cleaner. It’s a huge challenge!