An army of 1,000 recycled rubbish statues that has invaded the Italian capital to deliver an ecological message is proving a massive hit with the Roman public.
German artist HA Schult's Trash People have attracted over one million visitors since going on show here ten days ago, organizers say.
The life-sized statues have been set out in rows like the Terracotta Army at the city's huge Piazza del Popolo square.
The figures are moulded from tin cans, computers, crushed plastic and various other pieces of junk.
Schult's aim is to challenge modern consumerism, reminding people of the waste they constantly produce and of the problems they are creating for future generations in doing so.
There are no barriers between the sculptures and the public. People are free to touch, study and have their photos taken with the statues.
"This installation invites people to reflect on the importance of our ecosystem for our quality of life," said Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni.
"But it also carries a message of hope because a lot can still be done to give future generations a balanced environment that is intact.
"When art is the bearer of messages of civil and social responsibility, one can only be satisfied. Schult's initiative is an example of this".
Schult was born in 1939 in Berlin and grew up amid the ruins of World War II.
He was one of the first European artists to tackle environmental issues in his work.
The German artist made the Trash People in 1996 from rubbish collected at the municipal depot in Cologne.
Around half of the original statues have since been sold and replaced by new ones. A Trash Person sells for around 6,000 euros.
It is the first time the Trash People have come to Italy.
Their Green message has been taken to many other famous sites around the world, including the Great Wall of China, the ancient Egyptian pyramids and Moscow's Red Square.
The exhibition is one of the events being staged here to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which created what is today the European Union.
The army will be camped out in Rome until Thursday night, when it will be packed up to head for the next stage of its world tour in New York.
