Can waste be beautiful? Ordinarily, the answer would be no. But just like us, our waste deserves a second-chance. Upcycling has lead to the artistic movement we now know as recycled art. This movement has inspired artists all around the world with its solutions to excessive consumption and environmental pollution. The art form seeks to transforms rubbish such as paper, cardboard, wood, plastic, metals and glass into beautiful works of art. It goes beyond typical recycling methods to result in creations that are considerably more culturally and socially rich than the original product.
The Origin
Reusing discarded materials to create art is not something new. Patchwork quilts were created by early American settlers using remnants of cloth from flour sacks and worn garments. In order to create artwork, men in the trenches during World War I occasionally used leftover artillery rounds to carve images. In both instances, people created new, unique pieces of art out of readily available remnants of things that had formerly had another purpose.
The early 20th century was significant in the creation of recycled art. Pablo Picasso, an artist who lived from 1881 to 1973, created collage around 1912, a technique in which he adhered little objects, newsprints, scraps of paper, and images to create a new image. Picasso also used found objects to create sculptures.
A few years later, found artefacts were employed in the artwork of 1887–1968 artist Marcel Duchamp. Art is created from objects that were intended for different uses and ended up being found. Duchamp was a member of the Dada art movement, which was born in response to the atrocities of World War I. Dada was work that subverted notions about what constitutes art and attacked the viewer's expectations. In his sculptures, Duchamp included elements such as wooden furniture, bicycle tyres and even a porcelain bathroom urinal. In some cases he combined them, but in the urinal situation he named it and displayed it exactly as it was. He purposely chose mass produced or easily recognisable objects, and he had the idea that art could be called “art” by the artists’ will. This inspired the recycled art revolution (Chirat C., 2018)
Examples of Recycled Art
The shadow sculptures of Tim Noble and Sue Webster - In 1986, British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster met while studying fine art in Nottingham. The couple is famous for their famous "shadow sculptures", made from recycled materials and waste. The latter then illuminate them in order to project shadows on the surrounding walls and floor. At first glance, the room may seem like a mountain of trash. However, once the fire is lit, the shadow of the room reveals an extremely detailed and realistic image on the wall.
The cultural crafts of Subodh Gupta - Subodh Gupta, an Indian artist, lives and works in New Delhi, creating large-scale sculptures from ordinary materials. He selects objects that have particular importance in Indian culture, then recycles them by integrating them into his installations. Gupta's art is therefore deeply rooted in Indian culture, a culture in constant evolution due to globalization. The objects he uses in his work already have a story, but Gupta adds another dimension of meaning when he incorporates them into his works. (Artsper Magazine, 2018)
Why is it beneficial to the environment?
One of the ways that recycled art helps the environment is by prolonging the useful life of materials and, consequently, lowering the quantity of waste that is produced. Working with these materials requires a certain level of technique as well as a great deal of inventiveness. Furthermore, before taking on the challenge, artists of this kind need to ask themselves the following questions: Will the job require an excessive amount of energy to create? Are the supplies that will be used actually waste? What proportion of my work will be wasted? Will the project benefit the environment?
In addition to appreciating the artwork for its own sake, those who purchase this kind of art do so because they want to improve the welfare of the earth by giving the materials a second chance at life. In addition, this movement is a really engaging educational tool that can be used to teach people, especially young people, the value of recycling and the effects that human behaviour has on the environment. (Iberdrola)
Citations
Artsper Magazine. (2018). 10 Artists Working in Recycled Art | Artsper Magazine. [online] Available at: https://blog.artsper.com/en/get-inspired/top-10-of-recycled-art/.
Chirat, C. (2018). A history of waste in Art. [online] The TerraCycle Blog. Available at: https://blog.terracycle.com/2018/07/20/a-history-of-waste-in-art/.
Iberdrola (n.d.). Upcycled art, when waste becomes art. [online] Iberdrola. Available at: https://www.iberdrola.com/culture/recycled-art.
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