Let There Be Recycled Light!
Basket of Light by Ruby R-U, aka Diane Kurzyna, made from discarded X-mas tree lights and telephone wire for “Weaving Washington,” 1998
The Festival of Lights is over, the days are growing longer, and the holiday lights are being packed up. Some folks are switching to LEDs, but that doesn’t mean the old lights should be tossed away. The Olympian has suggestions as to what to do with your unwanted strings of lights HERE
Hillary Newman at the Huffington Post blogged about Heath Nash of South Africa, who reuses recycled plastic bottles to produce creative light fixtures: Recycled Light Has Never Been So Beautiful
Back in the USA, Seattle artist Russ Morgan upcycles glass bottles, punch cups, sea glass, and other glass shards, along with thrift store metal stuff, to create gorgeous chandeliers (Ruby is thrilled to now own one)
Olympia Dumpster Divers Bil Fleming and Pat Tassoni make amazing lamps out of the junk most people throw away
Hope you have been re-illuminated about the possibilities of recycled art in 2008; here’s to a Happy Re-New Year! love, etc Ruby Re-Usable
what an illuminating post and such wonderful light fixtures!
Best wishes for 2009!
Happy New Year’s Ruby. And cross posted on Olympia Standard.
Fantatsic! Such a wide range of aesthetic expression, from Diane Kurzyna’s Basket of Light, Heath Nash’s recycled plastic bottles, Russ Morgan’s upcycled materials, and Pat Tassoni’s assemblages of found objects. My favorite? So hard to tell but I do like Tassoni’s Telephone000.
Perhaps those of us who frequent thrift stores, rummage sales & auctions have been right all along.
Wishing you a happy & healthy New Year.
Happy New Year to you all, too!! There is such a range of materials one can utilize in the pursuit of art from recycled materials, even when the subject is the same (ie light), the solutions are myriad, glad you appreciate the diversity. Now spread the word, recycled art is alive and well around the world, including right here in Olympia, Washington, USA!