What are the most common criteria that make an object trash-worthy? a) It has a visible flaw or is broken in some way. b) It no longer serves a valuable function in our lives. c) We are tired of looking at it. d) We want to get a newer, better, fancier version. Are any of these reasons actually valid or do you think that they are merely just part of the standard dialogue that rabid consumers rattle off without serious contemplation or comprehension?
Let's try a different approach. What makes an object worth repurposing rather than chucking? a) Every single thing in our lives deserves another shot at achieving new heights of greatness. b) Why add more to our landfills if there's another potential way to breathe new life into it? c) It's a practical way to conserve financial resources. d) Reusing consumer objects is eco-friendly and also enables us to exercise our creativity.
What you and I ultimately choose to drop in a garbage can may seem easily justifiable in our minds, but those who are operate with a right brained approach perceive our castaways being the perfect medium for their unbridled artistic experimentations. One man's trash is truly another man's treasure, especially in the hands of internationally renowned British eco-artist Stuart Haygarth. He has paved a long and fruitful path for himself collecting, cataloging and transforming our discards into monumentally stunning assemblages that make you stare and admire with your jaw hanging wide open.
You're probably familiar with his creations, but if not, it never hurts to get a refresher course because seeing what he can do with consumer waste is truly inspirational. Take, for example, this oddly surreal orange orb entitled Harpon 321, which is constructed out of more than 300 pairs of discarded fisherman's gloves that were reclaimed from the ocean. The varying tones of each rubbery appendage are the result of being sunburned and battered while on the waves.
What happens to festive party poppers once the thrill of their inner kapow is long gone? Haygarth's Millennium chandelier addresses that issue in a surprisingly elegant way
as does his Tinted Optical stunner (fashioned out of more than 4,500 lenses)
and his Urchin fixtures (above and below) utilizing the arms of countless pairs of discarded glasses.
Have you ever wondered exactly how many shattered car mirrors are languishing in junk yards across the globe? It's hard to imagine that Haygarth's Wing Mirror Table -- making practical use of infinite shards of reflective mirror bits -- could bring bad luck upon anyone given the dazzling effect that it creates.
Perfection? Who needs it when we can recognize that even in an altered state, the most humble of objects are still capable of being transformed into things of absolute beauty?
Purple plastic champagne flutes...meant to be used just once and then thrown away. Put 416 of them together and what do you have? A dramatic tower entitled Disposable that is somehow elevated to the eschelon of fine art.
The next time you're tempted to discard an item, why not ask yourself WWSHD (what would Stuart Haygarth do?) and then challenge yourself to give the object a second chance, whether via art, design or DIY inspiration ;)
You might find that before long, you are able to tap into your inner artiste and start a mini-repurposing revolution in your neck of the woods!
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