upcycled art

[Deborah Freeman-Voizin]

I have been challenged to step outside my normal box of creativity and create new art from things that would normally end up in our land fields. I am a photographer and digital painter. I have been learning to sew.....but I want to make something really cool for this show. The show is in early Sept. So I have need to start working NOW!!! Do any of you have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Deborah

[Donald Kennedy]

Dear Deborah, I am a metal sculptor a few years back I was asked to work some grade school students in Southampton middle school to make costumes for an environmental play and with my background making sets for off broadway plays, we made costumes for a play that they had written. There were environmental monsters one metal, one paper and the last was plastic. The metal monster was made primarily from soda cans the cans were flattened and had holes punched in the corners and wired together so that they could articulate when the monsters moved. Since the the cans were aluminum they could formed into varied shapes so the monster could be three dimensional. Rather than being flat medieval banners, they were spray painted to give some fantastic results. The paper monster was made of loops that were pasted or stapled and then linked together with some linked together with ribbons very colorful and dramatic. The plastic monster was glued wired and screwed together. The three monsters had to move so they were attached to poles (broom handles) so that they could move up and down we added cross bars so that more students co participate. Heat wasn't used because of the age of the students health reasons you know. If you want to make the works static you can, but making the works move is much more fun and you can get some battery operated motors or use wind power or even solar to provide energy. Get some tin snips a hole punch some wire spray paint and some masking tape and have a ball. I want to see some pictures get a lot of people involved and have a ball. Remember that the limits of the sculptures are determined by the limits of your imagination. All the best, Donald Kennedy

[Deborah Freeman-Voizin]

Thank you so much! Wonderful ideas. Right now I do not have the skills of a Blacksmith....so, doing somthing that does not require heat is a good thing. I will post some pictures of my creations!

Thanks again,
Deborah

[Donald Kennedy]

Dear Deborah, The heat I mentioned was soldering,brazing, welding which the students couldn't use. I know that you can use hole punch, you know its the one that you use for making holes for ring binder notebooks. You can even eyelets and grommets to cleanup the holes like your sneakers. Instead of wire you could even use colored string. If 10 to 15 year olds could do make these sculpture monsters so can you, they weren't blacksmiths they flattened the aluminum cans by stomping on them (they loved smashing the cans, teachers usually want the kids to be careful). The craft paper only requires paper paste and or staples. Make forms from hardware or household screening and cover them with paper mache (flower & water with newspaper dipped in the solution & let dry, add a few drops of chorine to the mixture to fend of bugs. Coat the dried paper mache with gesso and paint with casein, tempura, acrylic or even house paint. Start small, by the way pop tops make great chain mail. All the kids in my group survived and you will too, the more you try the more ideas you will get & remember preconceived ideas will only get yo in trouble. Mud pies are fun so get some kids that aren't afraid to get dirty and learn from them, remember the washing machine will wash your clothes too. Glue popsicle sticks together with or without the ice-ream. In other words make as mess and have fun doing it. The Museum of Modern Art is waiting, I called them this morning, Donald

[Deborah Freeman-Voizin]

Thanks for all of your inspiration! I love to make mud pies and get messy. When my son was little my main saying was "It'll wash." I am wishing for some blacksmithing skills in the future. I have these wonderful cobalt blue and deep orange globes that covered the strobe lights from an airport runway. They were just going to throw them away and I said those are way too beautiful to do that.....so, I have about 7 boxes of about 36 per box. I have some really cool ideas and plans for these but they require a blacksmith. I had someone that was going to teach me....but there has been a delay in the setting up of his studio. The globes do have a flat end that has a lip to it and the other end is rounded. The flat end is the one that is open so they can not sit up by themselves. I know that I could wrap the lipped edge with a copper wire for them to hang as a single...but that might be boring and I was hoping to use multiples. Have any thoughts?

Deborah

[Taffie]

You could make a graphic quilt of thrown out clothes, tarps,rags etc-or pieced pillows and form the colors/scraps to make images-just a thought -i sewed for the public for four years-good luck i hope it turns out well!
You can bleach things to snitize them, then make a few dye batches and dip the different testurs, faded colors to get shadow and light of the same color. Might be cool!