British artist Richart Sowa first had the idea of an artificial island made from recycled products back in 1977, long before he was an artist. He had moved to Germany to find work as a carpenter at the time and he began drawing nature pictures in his spare time.
He suffered a personal crisis when his marriage broke down and his wife returned to England with the children. Sowa began travelling the world to find his true calling, drawing portraits and busking on the streets to earn money. He travelled extensively throughout Europe and the United States.
© portokalis / Adobe Stock
Origins of Spiral Island
Finally settling in Mexico in 1996, the local culture and the history of the Aztec farmers spurred a distant memory. Back in 1977, he had drawn a rather bizarre picture of a UFO hovering above an island, made up of a giant man's head, wearing a simple straw hat with hundreds of plastic bottles around the brim.
It was floating in the ocean and was a habitat for wildlife and domestic animals of all kinds, including exotic birds, snakes, dogs, cats and chickens. The brim and dome of the hat made up the island, with palm trees and a wooden hut-type residence on top.
Sowa combined the idea behind his UFO drawing with the Aztec farmers' practice of building floating islands to create arable land. It was the decisive moment when he came up with the idea of building his own island out of empty plastic bottles and other recycled objects.
Construction work
Sowa began building his floating island on Playa Zipolite, a beach located in the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla, on Mexico’s Pacific coast. The beach had been famous for its hippie community since the early 1970s and it seemed an ideal spot.
He collected thousands of empty discarded plastic bottles, eventually joining them together by putting them in several nets. The resulting man-made island, built in 1998, was buoyant enough to support a structure made of bamboo and plywood.
He poured sand on top, planted mangroves and other plants and built a small house. However, not everyone was delighted with his efforts and some local residents complained to the police that Sowa had no right to build his own island.
He was ordered to leave and reluctantly did so. This saved his life, as three days later, the devastating Hurricane Pauline struck the coast wiping out not only his whole island but also the surrounding village.
Second Island
Undeterred, he started again, this time constructing his island (which he called Spiral Island) in Puerto Aventuras, on the coast of Mexico. This time, he made it legal by successfully obtaining a permit before he started building.
Once again, he began collecting bottles and he built a second island with a two-storey house containing a self-composting toilet and a solar oven. The island had three beaches. It measured 66 ft by 54 ft and was supported by around 250,000 bottles.
The sand poured on top rested upon the natural rock pier and he planted many different plants, which grew well over a period of four years and helped to keep the underwater plastic bottles together. He kept on building around his house, which was made of palm fronds.
He collected rainwater for his shower, grew a vegetable garden to be self-sufficient and added a roof terrace to his home. He lived in a truly environmentally friendly, sustainable manner - he didn't build anything that would further pollute the planet.
Over the years, Spiral Island became famous and many tourists would stop off there, often offering help to further extend the island. However, in 2004, Sowa was asked to move the island from the man-made canal, as private homes and condos were under construction. For around one year, he lived tied to the end of the loose rock pier.
Eventually, he was offered a new site for Spiral Island in Soliman Bay, 200km from his present location. The port authorities permitted him to tow his island, but sadly, Hurricane Emily struck in 2005 and destroyed Spiral Island.
Joyxee Island
Undeterred, Sowa began a third island of plastic bottles. This resulted in the construction of Joyxee Island. Building work took place in 2007 and 2008 in the waters of Isla Mujeres, near Cancun. It was completed and opened for tours in August 2008.
It was built using the same principles as his previous two recycled islands. Measuring 66 ft in diameter, it has been expanded to 82 ft over the years and is being continually improved. It boasts a house, three beaches, two ponds, a washing machine powered by the waves, a solar-powered waterfall and river and solar panels to generate power.
It is a "work in progress" and Sowa is always helped by volunteers with any new projects. In May 2011, a fundraising project with a goal of $9,000 was launched to berth the island out in Isla Mujeres Bay, as it had grown too large for its original location site off the pier. It was recognised as an "eco-boat" by the Mexican Government to comply with boating regulations.
The scheme was a success and although Sowa continues to expand the island as a "work of art in progress", it must now be equipped with a fire extinguisher, life-vests, a first aid kit and boat lights to comply with its new status.
Although plastic is often seen as negative to the environment, this is one instance where it has been put to very good use.
Solent Plastics appreciates the value of recycling and as a responsible company, we take our commitment to the environment very seriously.
Among our wide range of plastic products are Euronorm ECO recycled plastic Euro containers made from recycled polypropylene and recycling waste bins to help with recycling schemes.