The sculpture, which is a large-scale model of a pair of lungs with a heart, was originally unveiled at Walsall College in June 2024. It was part of a collaborative project between the college and Walsall Council’s Trading Standards and Public Health teams to raise awareness of the harms associated with vaping for those (especially young people) not using them to quit tobacco. The artwork also highlights significant issues associated with illicit vaping products.
The sculpture consists of empty boxes of approximately 4,000 illicit vapes seized by Trading Standards, which were provided to the college to create the artwork last year.
Over the last six months, the sculpture has been on display in secondary schools across the borough to support ongoing health and wellbeing education, with teachers using it as an educational tool to highlight the risks of peer pressure and addiction and the importance of young people making informed choices. The Council House will now host the sculpture for the summer holidays until September 2025.
Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Health and Wellbeing at Walsall Council said: “We’re delighted to host this powerful sculpture at the Walsall Council House. It serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by illicit vapes, which often contain unknown substances and exceed legal puff limits, making them harmful to people of all ages, including adults.
“Regulated vaping products are one of a number of effective tools for quitting smoking. They are less harmful than tobacco but not risk free. Our local services offer residents access to expert support and nicotine replacement therapy. This includes providing regulated vapes as an additional aid to become completely smoke free and eventually vape free.
“The project is a great example of how art, education and public health can come together to protect our communities.”
Councillor Adam Hicken, Portfolio Holder for Enforcement and Safe Communities at Walsall Council said: “This sculpture is a striking visual reminder of the scale of the problem we’re tackling. Our Trading Standards team works tirelessly to take dangerous, illegal vape products off our streets. These products are not only harmful but often linked to wider criminal activity. Enforcement is a key part of protecting our communities and we will continue to take robust action against those who break the law.”
Staff and visitors to the Council House will be able to view the sculpture and find out more about the quit smoking support on offer from services including Be Well Walsall and the Quit with Bella app.