Benjamin Von Wong's Biodiversity Jenga Art At COP16 Highlights The Fragile Balance Between Humanity And Nature


(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)

Biodiversity Jenga features 33 stacked blocks, each representing one of 12 distinct ecosystems from across Colombia, spanning both land and sea environments. this seemingly unstable structure serves as a striking visual metaphor for the urgent need to protect the planet

Powerful statements such as Biodiversity Jenga-a dazzling multi-artist creation on display at COP16-inspire a rethinking of our relationship with the web of life that sustains our very existence.” - Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of CBDCALI, COLOMBIA, October 21, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Delegates and global leaders arriving at the COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, will be greeted by Biodiversity Jenga. This monumental 21-foot-tall (6.4m) art installation was created by internationally renowned artist and environmental advocate Benjamin Von Wong, and sponsored by Chris Larsen and SeaTrees, a nonprofit launching the world's first marine biodiversity credit. Positioned in the heart of the Blue Zone, this seemingly unstable structure serves as a striking visual metaphor for the urgent need to protect 30% of land and water by 2030

About the Installation

Biodiversity Jenga features 33 stacked blocks, each representing one of 12 distinct ecosystems from across Colombia, spanning both land and sea environments. The ecosystems, designed by landscape artist Milton Duarte, include fully aquatic habitats including kelp forests, coral reefs, and seagrass meadows, alongside transitionary wetlands like mangroves and oyster lagoons, and key terrestrial environments, including tropical dry forests, the Amazon rainforest, Andean cloud forests, and mountain ecosystems.

Over 150 handcrafted animal sculptures populate these ecosystems, created by over 200 students from Cali's Luis Madina and Santa Librada schools. At the top of the tower, three children's sculptures-designed by local artist Raizha Guzmán-symbolize how humanity's future is intertwined with nature. Each child holds a symbolic item: binoculars, a megaphone, and a watering can, representing the need to observe, advocate, and care for the environment.
Surrounding the installation are blocks removed from the tower. Intricate dioramas inside these blocks, designed by Sasha Herrera, depict main drivers of ecosystem destruction: pollution, monocultures, urban sprawl, factory farming, plastic waste, and deforestation. Removed blocks symbolize the destabilization of ecosystems and call for action to reverse these destructive forces.

Lighting designer Carlos Hoyos enhanced the installation with the signature colors of COP16, transforming the installation into a signature selfie moment between 5-7 PM every night.
From the 21st to the 27th, find Von Wong at the installation each evening (except the 22nd) to engage conversation and discussion.

SeaTrees and Marine Biodiversity Credits

In collaboration with nonprofit organization SeaTrees, Biodiversity Jenga goes beyond raising awareness by highlighting a tangible solution: the world's first marine biodiversity credits, called SeaTrees Biodiversity Blocks. These innovative credits, which go on sale during COP16, fund the restoration of critical marine ecosystems such as mangroves, kelp forests, and coral reefs, focusing on reversing biodiversity loss while supporting coastal resilience and carbon sequestration.
Michael Stewart, SeaTrees co-founder, emphasizes the importance of this initiative:“Marine ecosystems play a crucial role in climate regulation and coastal protection, yet they've received only a small fraction of conservation funding. With these biodiversity credits, we can shift that balance and direct resources where they are most urgently needed.”

Community and Collaborative Effort

Charlotte de Casabianca, the Colombia chapter lead of Burners without Borders, coordinated a diverse team of artists, engineers, and environmental experts from across the country for the installation. Crucial institutional support came from the Ministry of Environment (Minambiente), and the Secretary of Culture from the Gobernación del Valle, the eco-tourism group Cultour and design collective La Linterna. All were important partnerships and played vital roles in shaping the project's success, as well as ecological and artistic vision.

Jonny Edmonds and his team at Metamateriales SAS were responsible for the tower's fabrication, constructing a modular structure that appears precarious yet is engineered to be stable and resilient. The collaborative spirit behind the project underscores the shared commitment to raising awareness about biodiversity loss and the urgent need for restoration.

A Lasting Symbol of Hope

Standing as both an artistic statement and a rallying cry for action, Biodiversity Jenga offers a message of hope. It challenges participants to reflect on humanity's impact on biodiversity while emphasizing that it is not too late to act. The installation will remain at Cali's Botanical Garden after COP16, serving as a permanent reminder of our collective responsibility to restore and protect the planet's ecosystems for future generations.

Additional Press photos are available for press/social media to use here

Learn more about the project:
Watch the video about how we built the art:
Partner with us to design a real-world Biodiversity Jenga Game:


Lora Bodmer (SeaTrees)
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Charlotte de Casabianca
Press/PR for Benjamin Von Wong
+57 310 8631797
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Benjamin Von Wong
Von Wong / Unforgettable Labs
+1 702-576-2390
email us here
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Biodiversity Jenga at COP16 in Colombia

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