Involuntary Pairs is a collection of objects of marine plastic pollution, individually picked up from Asian beaches by artist liina klauss since 2013. Each man-made object is matched with an item found in nature to form an Involuntary Pair: the two objects look alike, yet one originates from nature, the other from human manufacturing. 

We collaborated with liina to create a card game zooming in on plastic pollution in the oceans, making the magnitude of the crisis visible. A dynamic way to see, understand and grasp the fate and implications of our plastic age. A short film was also made about the involuntary pairs and liina’s process and the game was released to coincide with her exhibition opening at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

Some lovely reviews of the game that we have received:

“Involuntary Pairs is a thought provoking game for all the family. It has everyone thinking about every day household items that once in the sea evolve to look like nature. They look innocent but are truly disruptive and distrusting the natural rhythm of the world around us. We enjoyed having deeper family discussions about these pairs!”

“My 6 year olds love the Involuntary Pairs Game as a twist on the traditional memory card game. It also gives them a chance to associate and reflect on the items of rubbish they find in their neighbourhood beach cleanup activities.”

“This is a perfect meaningful gift to offer this year. What a great idea to combine a game made by an artistic talent and the value of raising awareness of marine plastic pollution. A must have.”

"I love Involuntary Pairs, I can't wait to be able to go back home to play together my nephew and niece. I believe it is a very impactful game especially for young kids, as the resembrance of the natural / artificial items is shocking and gives a clear perspective of the problem we have to tackle today when it comes to protecting our seas and natural environments"

The game consists of 52 cards and one poster printed on recycled cardboard and FSC paper using plant-based Ink. It’s 100% plastic-free, designed in Hong Kong and all profits from the sale of the game will be used for environmental projects. You can get yours from our web shop.

in Restoration—
Fan lau, South Lantau,2020

Interacting with a scarred and rubbish strewn landscape, we uncovered and once again revealed the natural surface that lies beneath. We dug through and intentionally sorted, removed and curated a sliver of “nature” amongst a looming field of manmade plastic trash.

nature/unnaturepile
Stanley Main Beach, Stanley, 2019

The nature/unnaturepile was made for a Vogue x La Mer event to raise awareness on a healthy lifestyle close to nature, waste reduction and a sustainable mindset.

Woven Ashore—a Conversation with the Wrack Line
Shap Long beach, Lantau, 2019

The installation, created along and within the natural wrack line of the beach, examines the lasting impact on the environment of our everyday choices and considers how our lifetime compares to that of the plastic items we use.

Beach cleanup volunteers were invited to collaborate on the wrack line piece and in the process, to reflect on their personal relationship with plastic and consider changes to make in their daily life.