Mosaic everything!

I was exploring the Magic Gardens with some friends in Philadelphia this weekend and when I left I had this amazing urge to mosaic everything in sight! The artist, Isaiah Zagar, is a true inspiration, maker, and artist.

I feel like I already have a pretty open mind when it comes to transforming found objects, but Isaiah opened it even further... and filled with glass bottles, toy animals, ceramic remnants, bicycle wheels, and just about anything else that others might consider scrap, but is actually wonderful in its new life.

Alley Recycling Exhibition

Ashley, one of our RePlayGround instructors, was recently on a trip to Europe and saw Alley Recycling exhibition space at Design Pack gallery.  The space is located at 24 rue de Richelieu and is devoted solely to the art of packaging design.  Alley recycling states its aim is to "encourage sorting and recycling of packaging and the development of best practices for prevention and waste reduction."  Here are a few pics she took for RePlayGround readers to see!

Take a Seat: recycle a chair project

Artist Jason Eppink's latest project, which is aptly titled Take a Seat, is an ongoing series of public furniture installations in New York subway stations. Subway riders are encouraged to recycle or rescue a chair from being thrown in the landfill, and instead place it in a subway station, where it may get some good use. Eppink's goal is to increase the availability of seating in subway stations, and anyone can place a chair, take a picture of it, and send it to his blog: http://jasoneppink.com/take-a-seat/?pid=39


photo via http://jasoneppink.com/take-a-seat/?pid=39

Trash art at the Suzanne Geiss Company

As soon as I learned of The Suzanne Geiss Company's inaugural exhibit on artist Rammellzee, I had to see it. Rammellzee created 3-dimensional sculptures of letter racers, which are poised to attack in futuristic galactic battles in order to liberate themselves from European meaning and iconic value.

As an admirer of all thing upcycled, I was fascinated by Rammellzee's sculpting materials. I saw skateboards, chunks of tire rims, cut up USPS boxes, spray can triggers, syringes, buckles, old air fresheners and much much more. The overall look of these letter racers hanging in an aerial formation made me think of the city's colorful diversity, and all the materials at our disposal. Rammellzee gave these materials a fantastic, fictional new beginning!

Below are images from my gallery visit. You can view this exhibit in NYC through April 21, 2012.

A look back to MAD's Second Lives symposium

The Museum of Arts and Design hosted Second Lives Symposium in February 2009. The symposium covered a wide range of topics including the intersection of art, craft and DIY. Another topic was the shift from artists using one primary medium, to embracing many materials, from plastic, glass and fabric, as well as traditional canvas.

The section of the Symposium which resonated most with RePlayGround was the Second Lives discussion. The talk focused on finding artistic and functional uses for trashed items, which is dear to our hearts! Independent curator Steven Skov calls attention to artists who work in the medium of reused materials, and you can view his MAD presentation here.

Coffee Cup Art

Artist Gwyneth Leech upcycled coffee cups into art for her latest NYC exhibit. Her artwork was displayed in the glass base of the Flatiron building, and she could be seen inside as she worked on her coffee cup art during the course of the show. Leech transforms disposable coffee cup exteriors into canvas, and she has covered 800 cups in the 5 months the exhibit has spanned. Leech teaches us we can make trash into art, one cup at a time!



image by Marianne Barcellona via http://www.gwynethsfullbrew.com/

Qwerty Key Walls

Artist Sarah Frost creates mosaic artwork with discarded computer keyboard keys she collects from garage sales, garbage bins, individuals and businesses. Her upcycled artwork gives insight into the history of the objects she uses. A permanent installation of her work can be found at The James Hotel in NYC. For Sarah Frost's bio, click here.

photo credit: http://www.sarahfrost.info/

Recycled Goods at Crafted at the Canal!

This Saturday Dec. 10th you can finish your holiday shopping in eco-style. Crafted at the Canal is a holiday craft fair that will be open from 10-5PM, and will include over 30 vendors! RePlayGround will be selling new recycling kits to make cereal box wallets and magazine gift bows, and you can pick up a signed copy of ReMake It!, which makes for the perfect gift for crafty friends and family.

RePlayGround's blogger Kathy Tingum will be there selling her recycled magazine frames, vases and other Twofold Designs items, so be sure to drop by and say hi!

The event is held at Build It Green! in Gowanus, 69 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY. Build It Green is a great resource for second hand furniture and building materials, and their new space is loaded with recycling inspiration!

See you there!

Plastic bottle portrait

Mary Ellen Croteau created this 8 by 7 foot portrait out of bottle caps and plastic bottle parts! The design is modeled after Chuck Close's portrait style and makes for an interesting critique on consumerism. Croteau's work focuses on the effect of plastic garbage on the environment, and asks that we look at our trash in a new light.

"I firmly believe in the power of the visual, and my work is my voice: a social critique and a visual challenge to all the cultural detritus we are force-fed every day. My art is about looking at things in a slightly different way, and is intended to undermine the status quo with wit and humor."

To see more of Croteau's colorful and inventive artwork from plastic bags and bottles, see: http://www.newdream.org/resources/2011-09-artist-critiques-consumer-culture

(close up of her nose!)

Call for Skraptacular volunteers!

Call for volunteers!

The Skraptacular Eco Gift-Making Workshop will be held Saturday Dec. 3 from 1-5PM at the Muscota New School in Manhattan. This is an afternoon where kids and adults come together to create unique holiday gifts from reused and upcycled materials. Proceeds from this event will benefit Skraptacular and the Muscota Parents' Association.

Lots of creative adults are needed to help at the various stations. There's a creative child in all of us, so come have a ball to help kids make it all!

To volunteer, call Michelle Del Guercio at 917-699-8136

You can find more information at http://www.skraptacular.org/

Adam Matta remixes a recycled bicycle!

This year at Maker Faire we met a cool musician who beatboxes with upcycled style! Adam Matta (as pictured at Maker Faire 2011 below) reinvented the bicycle wheel as an artistic turntable. Matta combined Marcel Duchamp's Roue de bicyclette and a deconstructed cassette tape player to make his turntable sounds. The cassette tape runs along the outside of the bicycle wheel, and as he turns the wheel the tape moves across the cassette player piece at the base of the stool. he is then able to manipulate sound into a record scratching and spinning style. To hear Matta's upcycled musical creation, see his video here!

Adam Matta is great inspiration to remix the way we recycle!

art and reuse with Louise Nevelson

Artist Louise Nevelson's work is crafted from found wood objects that are arranged and painted in a monochromatic fashion. Before she became an exhibiting artist, the impoverished Nevelson collected discarded wood from the streets to burn as firewood. Her 3-dimensional collage style was born from these piles of scrap material, and now grace the walls of major art galleries worldwide. Nevelson used everything from boxes and crates to bowling pins and wood bannister posts. For a detailed biography, check out http://www.louisenevelsonfoundation.org/

Rescue that Trash!

Have you ever found a "junked" item on the berm or in the back of a thrift shop, and found a cool new use for it? If you happen to have a rediscovery or reuse story, send it our way, and we'll feature your story on our blog!

Here's my trash rescue story:

On by walk home one day, I noticed a neighbor had set a huge, ornate, gilt style frame out with the trash. The corners were crumbling, and some of the carved decoration had chipped away. It could have been crushed down in the garbage truck, but I saw potential, so I grabbed it and brought it to my backyard. With a can of spray paint, I painted the entire frame glossy black, so it had a sort of sleek, modern look to it. I then placed an ad for the frame on Craigslist, and within a week, I sold it for $50!

Sometimes it pays not to pass up trash!

If you have a story of a way you reused or recycled a found object, let us know, and we'll post your story on our blog!

ReMake your Halloween - Crafty Inspiration

Halloween is coming up fast and there is no shortage of ideas for recycled costumes and decor. I picked out a few favorites that I hope will inspire you to ReMake your Halloween!

The cardboard box robot is a classic, and you can find tons of inspiration online - including detailed instructions on this very blog!

If you've got some boxes you need to use up, and don't feel so robotic, try being a Lego instead.

Evil Mad Scientist shares a fantastic bat costume made from used umbrellas.

I'm a sucker (ha, ha) for octopus and squid, so I am totally charmed by Dollar Store Crafts' no-sew Octopus costume (made with socks and an old sweatshirt). You can also see some great ideas for Halloween decor on the same site - like the scary lighted skulls made from plastic milk bottles.

(And on November 1st, don't forget to save your candy wrappers to make upcycled jewelry!)

Brooklyn Skillshare this Saturday!

Hey, New Yorkers!

For those of you who missed us a couple of weeks ago at Maker Faire, you have a second chance to catch us in action this Saturday, October 9th, where we'll be teaching a glass etching class at Brooklyn Skillshare at The Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School in Bed-Stuy.



The event runs from 10-4 and is open to the public with a suggested donation. Our class is at 1 pm, but come early and stay all day for a great range of classes (including crafting from plastic bags, taught by our friend Stephanie over at Garbage of Eden!).

Fine (Trashy) Art

A lot of RePlayGround projects tend to go in a more practical direction, but we appreciate upcycling in all its forms. Check out a few artists who are doing amazing things with garbage.

El Anatsui, a Ghanaian living and working in Nigeria, collects scrap metal like bottle tops and printing plates for his large-scale work.


Federico Uribe makes vibrant "paintings" with shoelaces and sculptures with castoffs like plastic forks.



And American artist Phoebe Tree makes "Smart Art" with, well, just about anything she can find!


Beautiful objects re-branded from the garbage heap - always inspiring. And this sampling is just the tip of the iceberg so be sure to check out the artists' websites and be on the lookout for more beautiful work made from "trash"!

Auto couture

I'm a little late on this one, but just had to share this amazing gown I stumbled across (via Craftzine and Ecouterre). It's made of discarded radiator copper and is a fabulous example of how upcycling can be sensible and beautiful! (Learn more at the designer's site: emmawhiteside.com.)

DIY Coathanger Poinsettia Wreath

Our lighted poinsettia wreath made from old wire coat hangers got such a warm reception at our holiday party this weekend, I thought I'd post a little how-to. It's actually a product of a fruit-bowl-attempt-gone-bad which I'd like to look at as a happy holiday lesson. Never be afraid to play with your garbage - you never know what you'll come up with!

For our design, we used 8 wire coat hangers (you can use 6 if you like). It's really simple to do, and you don't need to worry too much about precision as any inconsistencies seem to even out nicely in the end.

1. First, bend the neck of the coat hanger so the hook is perpendicular to the rest of the hanger body.



2. Then bend the hanger at this center point, into two halves. Bend again (on top and bottom) at the middle of each half. Join the hanger tips with wire or clear tape.



3. Finally, arrange all your hanger petals, tips pointing out, into a poinsettia formation, and tape together at the top and bottom seams where they meet. (I tried using wire for this, but it slipped around too much - packing tape seemed to be the way to go.)

For added holiday cheer, wrap a string of lights around the wreath body, and hang in a place where everyone can marvel at your eco-craftiness!

Everybody's doing it!

Here at Replayground we love to hear about others' adventures in upcycling. Check out this post over at New American Dream about some inspiring recycling projects - including more recycled homes, and an artist who won a $15,000 grant with work made from found materials.

Mini golf from found materials

I just learned of The Putting Lot, a summer installation here in Brooklyn designed to "provide a forum for discussing urban sustainability in a new context." It's a miniature golf course in Bushwick built from reclaimed materials and designed by teams of artists and architects. They hope to inspire people to think about sustainability on all kinds of levels.

Sounds like it's worth checking out - and it'll only be here till the end of the summer, so go get your mini golf on!