Pretty Trash

Right now, everything is "going green" or "eco-friendly." I feel a little passe with my non-hybrid car everytime I go to the gas pump. However, I am finding I really do like an off-shoot of this trend - using things that are usually deemed as trash to make something much more pretty, art.

Case in point, Tara Donovan's upcoming exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opening this Tuesday, November 20, that makes larger-than-life installations out of ordinary objects you'd find around the house like tape and drinking straws. So instead of piling up in a dump, or on a beach like Styrofoam beads are want to do, it becomes pretty amazing art that you can pay a $20 suggested donation to see. I'd love to see something like this Stryofoam cup extravaganza. Tara's also got about 18,000 graphite pencils on display at BEDFORD Gallery in Walnut Creek, Calif. through December 22, 2007. Bay area friends, check it out!

Also, like the Blueprint blog, Bluelines, I am a very big fan of Chris Natrop's lovely paper pieces. I instantly thought of Tord Boontje, too (anyone looking for an over-priced Christmas gift for me? It would be Boontje's beautiful and quite heavy coffee book, thanks.) Natrop has a piece called "Super City Spin" over at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., that I might just be tempted to check out.

But what I'm really interested in is the lasercut free-flowing paper constructions from his site like the pretty one to the left. He also has a book that you can download for free, check it out.

Peter Calleson also makes some crazy large-scale paper installations (and works on snow, ice and water...wow.)

So, lesson learned - there's actually a LOT more to supposed trash than meets the eye. Maybe next time you want to throw out that pizza box, you can repurpose it to make an oil painting or something.