This is the eighth in my series of "rubbish art".This one is gum and candy wrappers. All found by me along the edge of the road in Nairobi.
So why do I do these?
Well, as Heather observed, it's my way of redeeming what was thrown away. It's also my way of observing what people throw away. In this case, it's easy to see that people choose PK gum as their quick sugar buzz more than any other. Additionally, I'm commenting on people throwing stuff away at the side of the road rather than in a rubbish bin (UK/Kenya) or trash can (US). I wish they would throw stuff away in a bin! Finally, I'm commenting on manufacturing - there ought to be ways of making stuff that wouldn't involve a package that is discarded. In Japan, for example, candy is packaged in edible wrappers made of rice.
Close-up: my favorite wrapper.
Another artist who comments on how throw-away the USA culture acts: here.
Finally, if you tune back in around August, I'll be making a series of greeting cards that will be for sale. They will be blank inside - I can't imagine saying something like, "I hope you have a trashy birthday..."
5 comments:
I can't wait to see the greeting cards. But, could you make them into postcards?? I collect postcards=:)
Yup, I'll do postcards too.
Thanks for your interest!
Interesting link. Thanks for posting that.
The level of waste here in Germany is so low it is hard to be believed. EVERYONE recycles - and they seprate everything. The plasting soda bottles are also made of a really thick hard plastic that are almost like glass. For some reason I feel more like recycling them, since they seem to have more value.
Paul, if you lose your day job (again?!), I really think you could be a bonafide artist. I love this rubbish art stuff. It's so cool!
Take care & wish I could be a blogger like you,
Julie in SEA
I love the idea of garbage art, and thanks so much for giving me the idea. I especially like the phone cards art. Need to do that here in Ghana, as there are lots to choose from!
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