Sculpture made entirely of trash from Lake Tahoe unveiled at Tahoe Blue Event Center

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - “Surfaced,” a new art installation created with more than 450 pounds of items recovered from last year’s 72-mile scuba cleanup of Lake Tahoe, was unveiled Wednesday at the new Tahoe Blue Event Center.

The art was created by Oregon-based and internationally recognized artists Joel Dean Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova of Building 180.

"The eagle has landed," exclaimed Stockdill as the tarp dropped and the art was unveiled. The artists presented three concepts of what the new sculpture could look like, and the public was able to weigh in on the subject. Also up for consideration were a red fox and a bear. The eagle carrying a trout won by a large margin.

The Ponderosa Pine base is made from chains of anchors and sheet metal found in the lake. The eagle is rubber from buoys, paddles, and boats. The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout is made from plastic and glass pieces from sunglasses, lures, and bobbers, and its fins are made from a traffic cone. The bird's eyes are made from the top of a flagpole.

The base, eagle, and trout weigh almost 700 pounds.

“Our biggest challenge was deciding which items would be able to withstand the weather and hold up over time, while also representing the colors and textures of the species we were trying to create,” said Stockdill and Salnikova. “Prior to this, the sculptures we have designed have typically only featured one animal. This one was unique because it required us to think creatively about how we would use the litter provided to create three detailed, different sculptures, then merge them into a single piece.”

The two artists also created the life-sized blue whale art installation from discarded single-use plastic that was on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They will be at the Bend Fall Festival this coming weekend with a collaborative art installation the public can take part in.

"This is a lasting legacy of Clean Up the Lake and a reminder we have a job to do to keep it clean," Clean Up The Lake founder and CEO Colin West said of the project.

The art was commissioned by the Tahoe Fund with support from Matt Levitt and Tahoe Blue Vodka. It serves as a permanent reminder of the importance of environmental stewardship.

The trash that Clean Up The Lake has collected during its diving operations around Lake Tahoe was stored, and then Stockdill and Salnikova went through it, collecting what they needed for "Surfaced."

"Cleaning up litter is important, but not letting it happen in the first place," said Stockdill. He and Salnikova said this project aligns with what they do and have made "dozens and dozens" of animals with debris collected over a decade. Salnikova said everything has a story, and she wants viewers of the art to think about new life and all that we've thrown away.

"I moved to California because I fell in love with Lake Tahoe," said Levitt. "As our company has grown so has our ability to donate."

The unique display is a "symphony" of effort from partners including the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority, Tahoe Fund, Tahoe Blue Vodka, Building180, Clean Up The Lake.

"This is so cool to see this right here," added Levitt. "We can all make a difference and I'm honored, proud and happy [of the art piece]."