You wouldn’t let the Andrex puppy into this art gallery. Trans-layers I and Trans-layers II are beautiful art installations made from the humble toilet roll by Hamburg based Turkish artist Sakir Gökcebag, with surprisingly majestic results. Gökcebag frequently uses everyday objects in his work such as clothes hangers, clocks, belts and spirit levels. I particularly like his piece Toccata and Fugue (2011) which makes use of broken umbrellas.
Images via Sakir Gökcebag
These are very pretty. However, given that the toilet rolls in this art haven’t been used for their actual purpose then how is this really upcycling? The right use for these toilet rolls would be as, well toilet rolls. Then use the inner cardboard tube in an art project – that would be upcycling.
Many thanks for your comment. I think many would call this repurposing rather than upcycling as yes, the toilet rolls could still be used as toilet rolls. However, some might also argue that the toilet rolls have been ‘upped’ in aesthetic value through their new configuration. Please feel free to join the discussion on our forum which is all about defining the term ‘upcycling’ http://www.upcyclist.co.uk/forums/topic/what-is-your-definition-of-upcycling/