UNITED STAR OF EUROPE
UNITED STAR OF EUROPE shortlisted for the Social Art Award 2025
I’m thrilled to share that the UNITED STAR OF EUROPE has been shortlisted for the Social Art Award 2025: Out of over 920 submissions from around the world, the Star not only made it into the top 100—soon to be featured in the “Social Art Award Book TOP 100”—but now also into the shortlist!
The United Star of Europe is a collective work—shaped not only by yellow plastic waste contributed by project participants from all 27 EU member states, but by the symbolic power of that material. Each fragment represents the ongoing, often unseen efforts people across Europe make every day to care for our planet. This shortlist nomination is not just mine—it's a tribute to all those already working for a better, cleaner future. In that sense, we're all on this shortlist together.
The final winners will be announced during the Award Ceremony on July 2, 2025, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM (CET).
Register for free to join the live online ceremony.
Keep your fingers crossed!
UNITED STAR OF EUROPE
The "United Star of Europe" is the result of an EU art project that I launched in December 2022. Via a call on Instagram, I asked trash collectors and artists from the 27 member states of the European Union to send yellow plastic trash they collected outside, photos and a text about themselves and their environmental activities.
This trash was used to create the 150 cm x 150 cm "United Star of Europe" in the shape of the stars of the European flag. Texts and photos of the 61 project participants are published on this page. The star was on display for the first time 2024 at my exhibition "Trash My Way" at the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau, next to a QR code that leads to this page.
The star symbolises the plastic waste problem we all have, but at the same time also the many people who are not only aware of the problem but actively do something about it. It is a pleasure to read the texts of the participants and to look at their pictures. I am very impressed by what they achieve and how many others they have already inspired to do the same. I hope the star with its stories behind will be thought-provoking and inspiring.
SPECIAL CASE UNITED KINGDOM
I received several messages from Great Britain expressing regret that participation in the UNITED-STAR-OF-EUROPE project is not possible because of the Brexit. I am very sad that the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union. Of course it is part of Europe, but since the project is about the flag of the EU as its symbol, trash from there does not fit into the concept. The solution to the problem is an additional, German-British project. The artwork was completed at the end of August 2023, click here for the presentation of "Last Call".
THE PARTICIPANTS
On 9th April 2024 the collection was complete. 61 project participants from all 27 EU-countries had finally sent yellow plastic rubbish, pictures and texts, click on one of the links and you can read their stories.
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
SOURCES/LINKS
Original map of Europe by: https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/europe-map-vector_333750.htm