Pinheiros River and Tietê River are great and important rivers in São Paulo, Brazil. They’re interconnected and cross the biggest city in Latin America. But, both are considered dead due to the pollution.

The Volta Pinheiros Motion is formed by citizens who want to change the current situation of these rivers. The Motion wants gather people and companies to demand from the state government the commitment of the river’s depollution.

Since 1993 there is a depollution project and all the former governors already promised to clean the rivers. And they’re still dead.

We needed to get politicians attention and show them that people remember and will keep fighting.

Since 1993 all the former governors already have made promises to clean the rivers and no promises have been kept.

We needed to reminding of the promises the politicians made and get current governor’s attention about his duties.

The solution was to show that all river’s pollution has a face.

So we made a tribute.

We took toxic waste out of the river to make busts portraying former governors who promised to clean it. Reminding people and politicians of the promises made.

First, we exposed the busts at the most important Avenue in Brazil. And then we brought to many strategic places all over the city.

Brazil throws 55% of its sewage away in nature. Only 45% of the country's sewage is treated. Only in the city of São Paulo, the sewage from 9.1 million people goes to those rivers. Since 1993, about U$ 2 bilions were already spent in “depollution”. All of kind of promises were already made since then. So we needed to remind the people those promises were made and get current governor’s attention about his duties.

So, we made busts with toxic waste of the river from the former governors, and exposed the busts at the most important Avenue in Brazil. On Sunday, Paulista Avenue used to be closed for traffic and all the city goes there to see street artists and people used to do pacific protests. So we launched the busts’ exhibition there on Sunday and then we brought to many strategic spots all over the city.

We took toxic waste out of the river to make bust sculptures portraying former governors who promised to clean it. The former governor’s faces were modeled and printed in 3D and covered with the toxic wasted, so it smelled exactly like the rivers.

We exposed the bust sculptures for the first time at the most important Avenue in Brazil, where people from all over the city used to work during the week and play on the weekend.

On the bust sculptures’ base people could read and reminding of the promises the politicians made. One of the bases didn’t has a bust, but had a remind for the current governor of his duties.

After the launch, the busts were exposed during a month in many strategic places all over the city getting attention to citizens, companies, artists, media and politicians.