The Renewable Energy Club organised “Protest out of Waste”, an innovative contest where contestants created art-pieces based on Neon Noir, in teams of five or six. The contest was an attempt to promote the use of energy-efficient and eco-friendly products among students.

While only five teams showed up initially, participation increased as the event progressed. Each team was allotted virtual currency worth 180 bucks, which could be redeemed to buy waste products, like plastic bottles and metal pieces, required to make artworks. The contest began at 7 PM with a round of brainstorming before the implementation round began. 

Throughout the event, teams played a series of games to win extra virtual currency. The first game, “Blow The Ball”, involved one team member blowing balloons across cold-drink cans, which were then collected in a plastic cup by another team member. In a game titled “Paper Dance”, two members from each team had to dance on a newspaper sheet which kept getting smaller after each round. The winning team won currency worth 250 bucks, while lower ranking teams were given 220, 200 and 180 bucks. In another game titled “Push-ups”, one member from each team did push-ups. The teams were awarded currency based on the number of push-ups they did.

In “Catch the Balloon”, two members from each team passed a water-filled balloon like one would pass a volleyball, while slowly moving away from each other. While some teams participated in all the games with full enthusiasm to earn currency, others adopted a different strategy of not participating in the game and judiciously using their initial amount.

Towards the end of the event, the organisers added a twist to the game by announcing a sale, where waste items were sold at lower prices. This came as an advantage to the remaining teams, as most teams had given up and left. 

Upon the completion of the games, the teams prepared to wrap up and gave their works a finishing touch. The teams also prepared write-ups explaining the correlation of their artwork with the theme of the fest.

Speaking to the press, Shubham, a participant, said, ‘The event went well, it was great fun participating. The idea of utilizing waste material came out to be productive and the games filled the event with enthusiasm and team spirit.’ Sharing his experience, Utkarsh Dixit—a member of REC—said, ‘I’ve been conducting this event for three years in a row. Since Oasis is about having fun, we try to have an amalgamation of fun, art, and creativity with a tinge of technology involved.’