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To create a new world by metamorphosing what we discard and giving it new life is absolutely possible. In an attempt to reduce waste, the upcycling movement reuses and lengthens the lifespan of materials. It doesn’t settle with recycling objects, but instead gives them a greater value than what they originally had.
The upcycling movement in art
In the beginnings of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque were pioneers reusing objects by transforming them in works of art, and they achieved this thanks to collages made with magazines, newspaper, and wood. From Dadaists to Duchamp, and even for pop-art artists, discarded objects were added to the works as way of protesting against industrialization, the reification of the human being, consumerism, and waste culture. Actually, upcycling is the procedure through which the artist creates and, as Picasso would say, transforms a yellow spot into the sun.
The magic of a new life
Within the session we took part in, clear, opaque, black, and bubble plastics shone stronger than ever: they shone with fluorescent light. Sculptor Carlos Sánchez Alonso brought the ingredients and created an installation in order to interpret and be mindful of the need to make good use of our resources and reuse them.
Carlos creates his sculptures with pieces he finds in foundries, wood workshops, and plastic containers. In his works, he plays with lights, lines, transparencies, and shadows. And this same spirit that impregnates his sculptures was brought by the artist to the installation for this experimental session.
This week’s workshop
The fact that a piece already considered as trash can be given a better life than what it originally had by making it part of a sculpture could even be considered as romantic. In this week’s workshop we will be upcycling plastic, packages, glass, newspapers, and magazines. Each participant is going to create a composition with these elements. We will be talking about the need of being aware of the multiple benefits that bestowing a new life upon our resources implies. Are you in?
In collaboration with the sculptor Carlos Sánchez Alonso
Photography: Oscar Rivilla
Music: Dr. Symptosizer
Hair and makeup: Jose Sande
Art direction: Carolina Verd
Fashion:
Main and third picture: raincoat, top, tights and sneackers by Oysho; tulle pants with yellow belt by Carolina Verd
Second and forth picture: tulle cape by Rubén Hernández, courtesy of Fash&com; top and tights by Oysho; blue sneackers by Nike
Carolina Verd 