The Cigarette Planet is a 30" mache globe covered with cigarette butts that I picked up off the streets of Baltimore.

Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet. They are made from plastic and after smoking, the filters are filled with harmful chemicals that then leach into our soil and water when flicked on the ground as litter. 

This sculpture is very attractive to viewers who feel compelled to come closer and even touch it, intrigued by what they are looking at - until they realize what they are seeing/touching are littered butts. 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year. 
  • Cigarette Planet - Paper mache phase
    Cigarette Planet - Paper mache phase
    In studio applying heavy-duty mache to planet. Mache included paper pulp and joint compound, making it extra-hard, sandable and able to withstand physically moving the piece around.
  • Cigarette Planet - Butt pickup, bio-retention swale, Inner Harbor, Baltimore MD.
    Cigarette Planet - 2400 butts picked out of the bio-retention swale directly across from Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the Aquarium. The heat was horrendous - upper 90's. the job took 4 hours or so - roughly picking up a cigarette butt every .16 seconds. For four hours straight. This was only ONE of my cigarette pickup expeditions on my way to the 12K butts used for the Cigarette Planet (see www.fullcircuitstudio.com).
  • Cigarette Planet - Butt pickup, bio-retention swale, Inner Harbor, Baltimore MD.
    Cigarette Planet - Butt pickup, bio-retention swale, Inner Harbor, Baltimore MD.
    Cigarette Planet - 2400 butts picked out of the bio-retention swale directly across from Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the Aquarium. The heat was horrendous - upper 90's. the job took 4 hours or so - roughly picking up a cigarette butt every 6 seconds. For four hours straight. This was only ONE of my cigarette pickup expeditions on my way to the 12K butts used for the Cigarette Planet (see www.fullcircuitstudio.com).
  • Cigarette Planet - Sorting Butts by color
    Cigarette Planet - Sorting Butts by color
    After gathering cigarette butts for a number of weeks through the heat of early summer, I had to sort the butts by color in preparation for gluing them to the mache planet.
  • Cigarette Planet - Map creation and application phase
    Cigarette Planet - Map creation and application phase
    A map of the earth was created from an online image of a map pattern. The image was extremely small but the layout was well suited for the purpose. With some extensive prep in photoshop and illustrator, the map was cleaned up, scaled up. printed and used as a transfer pattern. Graphite was applied to the back of each segment and laid against the globe. Then the continents were traced, transferring the linework to the surface of the globe.
  • Cigarette Planet - Mosaic phase
    Cigarette Planet - Mosaic phase
    The mosaic phase of the Cigarette Planet involved gluing each butt (or segment of butt) on one at a time as one would create a tile mosaic. In this picture, the filled in graphite transfer is visible as a guide and cut segments of butts are evident in the creation of continent shapes. The glue needed to be tacky enough to stick instantly but still be repositionable for a short amount of time for correct placement.
  • Cigarette Planet Social Media Info-graphic
    Cigarette Planet Social Media Info-graphic
    This social media info-graphic shows varying stages of the creation process as well as information on timed butt pick-ups. It was used on Baltimore Trash talk instagram, linked-in and Facebook.
  • Cigarette Planet - Baltimore Figment Festival
    Cigarette Planet - Baltimore Figment Festival
    Instagram posting of Cigarette Planet at Baltimore Figment Festival in Carroll Park in Baltimore, MD. This was the first festival where The Cigarette Planet has been on view. Since this festival, The Planet has appeared at the DC Catharsis on The Mall, The Lauraville Festival, Southwest Palooza, Library Square, WTMD Radio Station, the Creative Alliance Art to Dine For series and other environmental festivals, tabling events and venues.
  • Cigarette Planet - Baltimore Figment Festival
    Cigarette Planet - Baltimore Figment Festival
    Instagram posting of Cigarette Planet at Baltimore Figment Festival in Carroll Park in Baltimore, MD. This was the first festival where The Cigarette Planet has been on view. Since this festival, The Planet has appeared at the DC Catharsis on The Mall, The Lauraville Festival, Southwest Palooza, Library Square, WTMD Radio Station, the Creative Alliance Art to Dine For series and other environmental festivals, tabling events and venues.
  • Cigarette Planet - Final Mosaic
    Cigarette Planet - Final Mosaic
    This image is of The Cigarette Planet after finishing the final mosaic process.
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