Single-Use Hydra is an installation by 📝Benjamin Von Wong built from a mountain of empty Kiehl's product containers, displayed on New York City's High Line from April 4 to 17, 2024, under the campaign title "Single-Use Reflections."
The piece draws on the Greek legend of the Hydra — cut off one head and another grows back — as a metaphor for single-use plastic: every container discarded is replaced by more. Large mirrors etched with reflective prompts protrude from the mound of empties, turning viewers into part of the artwork, and a hidden keyhole reveals a miniature world inspired by an old-world apothecary, imagining ways to reduce plastic waste.
Created in partnership with Kiehl's for Earth Month alongside the Earth Day Initiative's programming, the installation pairs systemic critique with individual invitation — refillable products as one small, immediate shift within reach of every viewer.