In 2025, Merak launched Asia’s largest Autism awareness initiative under the theme of Inclusion Through Sustainability. This groundbreaking project is unfolding through five connected phases, each carrying a message of environmental care, artistic transformation, and social inclusion.

 

Phase 1: Cleaning the Coast (completed)

On a single stretch of shoreline, where ocean meets land, volunteers gathered to collect what the tides had brought in. From plastic waste and broken fragments, they began something new. They did not just clean. They reclaimed.

 

Phase 2: Beauty of Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean (completed)

Artists and historians have created panels, each reflecting a different landscape of Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Crafted with care by both local and international artists, these panels use a Van Gogh style effect to highlight the talents of neurodivergent artists. Every panel tells a story — of place, of touch, of belonging. Together, they number 200.

 

Phase 3: Ocean Plastic into Sensory Items (in progress)

The ocean plastic collected in Phase 1 is now being melted and transformed into sensory items such as spinners, which help children with Autism to interact and self regulate. These sensory items will be carefully attached to the panels of artwork created in Phase 2. For the first time in history, sensory items are being made from recycled ocean plastic.

 

Phase 4: International Recognition in Colombo, Sri Lanka

In April 2026, all two hundred panels will come together in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a Guinness Record attempt. Each panel will be assembled by a partner organisation, who will then take the panel back to display in their own institution. It will not just be a record. It will be a symbol of unity, ownership, and shared responsibility that places Sri Lanka on the global stage.

 

Phase 5: A Global Conversation

The remaining panels will leave Sri Lanka and begin a new journey. They will be exhibited around the world in museums, galleries, and public spaces. They will carry with them a message from Sri Lanka: that inclusion is not a gesture, but a practice. That sustainability is not about what we throw away, but what we choose to value.

 

The Medium Is the Message

This project does not speak through speeches or slogans. It speaks through touch. Through colour. Through materials once considered waste. It shows that nothing is too small to matter. No one is too different to belong. And no country is too small to lead.

For the first time in history, sensory items for children with Autism are being created from recycled ocean plastic — turning waste into tools of inclusion and dignity. Through Merak, Sri Lanka steps forward as a champion of inclusive tourism, environmental care, and the dignity of every person.

 

Partner With Us

Partner with us to be part of the largest Autism awareness initiative in the world. If your organisation would like to co-create or sponsor a panel, or join us in this movement for inclusion through sustainability, please contact us at merak2025@tthi.lk

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