Why do we view the music technology of yesteryear as a relic from our past that lacks value and practical purpose in our lives?
Cassette tapes used to deliver the crème de la crème of auditory sensory experiences...but - thaaaat's right...now it's all coming back to me...things started to go horribly wrong once we realized that the dark brown ribbon of sound-delivering film had a penchant for getting tangled up in our players, vomiting chewed up bits of auditory gobbledygook in our general direction.
Today's artists like Von Glitschka consider that a half-glass-full scenario ripe with creative opportunity, fashioning pretty remarkable single line portraits out of spewed tape strands.
Others see it not as an artistic medium but as a potential tech-fabric capable of being converted into neckties and other garments as Sonic Fabric has done.
In each case, they deserve a high-five for thinking well beyond the traditional eco-scope of the average individual and showing us how it's done.
Repurposing the interior guts of "old fashioned" cassette tapes is one thing, but what about their plastic shells - that stuff takes a bazillion years to break down in a landfill, so it stands to reason that we should put on our thinking caps and repurpose as many of them as possible.
No worries, our fellow eco-minded peeps have already figured that one out, too.
From recycled cassette tape Nano carrying cases and illuminated cassette lamp boxes to Atlanta artist Brian Dettmer's cassette tape skeletons, there have been quite a few creative minds who have been hot on the case, using this plentiful landfill-bound technology as an appealing, modern day canvas.
One in particular, London artist Nick Gentry, is so interested in showcasing the now obsolete media formats that were once a treasured part of our culture that the vast majority of his artistic portfolio is painted directly onto VHS/cassette tapes and computer disks.
Believing that there is a rich cultural history embedded into each cast aside plastic item, he channels new life into them, one paint stroke at a time.
Scanning his prolific collection, one can easily get the sense that he is perhaps channeling the eighties with his use of bold colors and emulation of Duran-Duranesque album cover style.
As with any exercise in repurposing, it's easy to appreciate the dedication he exhibits toward his eco-craft and willingness to eschew primed cotton duck canvas in favor of hand-assembled textured plastic panels which are perhaps not as enjoyable, and certainly not as authentic to work with.
The sacrifice, while noble, is clearly well worth the gamble given the dynamic works that Gentry has managed to create.
Bravo, plastic media landfill liberator!
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