At school Ian Berry was known as the art one. But around aged 18, he didn’t turn up for his art foundation course and listening to … Read More ›
Category: Curiosities
In an age of Netflix, Spotify and iTunes, we continue to leave behind a large trail of redundant CDs and DVDs. Turning those discs made … Read More ›
With more of us shopping online, cardboard packaging is fast becoming one of the most ubiquitous materials we discard on a daily basis. Elevated from … Read More ›
When it comes to upcycled chairs, it seems the humble seat can be made from just about anything. Looking at the designs below, seating can … Read More ›
With virtually everything become increasingly digitised, more of us are striving for a paperless life. We still however, manage to produce a staggering amount of … Read More ›
Collect is an annual international contemporary art fair held by the Crafts Council, now its 14th year. It brings together 40 galleries from around the … Read More ›
The concept of plastic bottle art initially evoked flashbacks of Blue Peter’s Here’s one I made earlier. It’s hard to believe that something as ubiquitous … Read More ›
When used bicycle parts get a second life as something beautiful, the term ‘upcycling’ couldn’t be more apt. Although an advocate of all things eco, I … Read More ›
As well as being a natural, durable and highly recyclable material, little can compete with the magic that glass can offer visually. Glass-blowing as an … Read More ›
If you think reclaimed wood only has a chance at second life, either as furniture or floorboards, think again. More and more creatives are coming … Read More ›
I’ve always been impressed by artists who use unexpected and found materials in their work. Where others see something unremarkable and disposable, these artists see … Read More ›
I’m sure once upon a time, the only thing that adorned a shop ceiling was CCTV and smoke alarms. But when it’s time to refurb a … Read More ›
Exhausted and buzzing. That’s how I would describe my digital hangover after recently returning from Lisbon for Web Summit 2016. One of the world’s biggest technology conferences, … Read More ›
This incredible art installation called Rockaway! is an old aquatics building at a former US Army base in Fort Tilden, New York. Structurally unsound due to … Read More ›
100 tonnes of waste generated at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2015 was reused for an installation at the 2016 Venice Biennale by Chilean architect Alejandro … Read More ›
Los Angeles artist Augustine Kofie created a body of work with an incredible futuristic quality, despite being made from forgotten materials of the past. Kofie finished his art … Read More ›
Imagine the patience required to create such intricate carvings as this? Recollecting the tedium of sharpening pencils in art classes, only for the lead to inevitably … Read More ›
The notion of highlighting something seemingly worthless by casting it in bronze was explored by Jasper Johns in the 1960s. Works such as Painted Bronze (Ale Cans), … Read More ›
Artist Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels is an Australian-American artist living in Brooklyn. The New York art institution Clocktower Productions where Bothwell Fels was former artist-in-residence, describes her work as ‘submerging environments … Read More ›
Popular with aeroplane enthusiasts, there’s a whole host of designers looking for ways to reuse material from decommissioned aircrafts. In the beautiful city of Bath, one … Read More ›
Last weekend, the chilly capital was aglow with dazzling light installations, projections and sculptures by various artists for 2016’s Lumiere festival by Artichoke. Among the 30 installations … Read More ›
Mike Stilkey creates captivating paintings on discarded books using acrylics, inks, coloured pencil and lacquer. Almost Tim Burton-esque, the distinctive style of the Los Angeles artist features … Read More ›
From her Promenade (2010) featuring 105 miles of gold thread to her musical manuscript installation Resonance (2013), we continue to be amazed by Susie MacMurray‘s creations. For … Read More ›
California mixed media artist Scott McMillin chops up reclaimed car parts to create geometric works of art. Scrap metal from cars is cut into squares and rectangles … Read More ›
These incredible animal sculptures by Marc Sparfel have a primitive aesthetic achieved through the reuse and reconfiguration of found furniture. Sparfel grew up in Brittany, north-west … Read More ›
The idea of upcycled money may seem paradoxical, but Angela Mathis isn’t the first to make art out of cold hard cash in order to play … Read More ›
Stuart Haygarth was one of the first artists we featured on Upcyclist, along with his reconfigured collections of found objects, transformed into stunning chandeliers. A more recent … Read More ›
Founded in 2013, Kitty Ferreira is the brainchild of Valerie Goode. Whilst working as a Senior Designer in China, her firsthand experience of the terrible air pollution … Read More ›
Wyatt Gallery (a person not a place) is an award-winning American photographer living between New York and the Caribbean. Many of his photos raise awareness and … Read More ›
A Portuguese street artist Bordalo Segundo creates assemblage art from trash found on the streets of Lisbon. Using old tyres, scrap metal, steering wheels and other car … Read More ›
Now here’s a project that may raise a few eyebrows. Jewellery made from dismembered dolls can be too macabre for some, but The Plastic Bodies … Read More ›
Every year, American modern furniture store Design Within Reach launches the DWR Champagne Chair Contest™. This is a competition to design a miniature chair using … Read More ›
“These installations are like hidden gems sprinkled across the world that invite us to actually look, to be playful and to participate in a glorious and … Read More ›
Unwanted junk is the medium of choice for British designer Karen Ryan, who graduated from the RCA in 2001. She first encountered raw materials such as broken … Read More ›
We return to the work of Matthew Cusick, an American artist who has created a visual vocabulary using cut out maps from atlases and books. Previously we … Read More ›
A while back we featured Nick Gentry‘s ethereal portraits painted on to floppy disks and film negatives. Nick Gentry is inspired by the evolution of consumerism, … Read More ›
Czech artist Veronika Richterová is an aficionado when it comes to the upcycled plastic bottle. Using heat and various methods of technological processing, she has created … Read More ›
As you can see from our previous posts on Michelle Lowe Holder, we’re a huge fan of this Canadian-born British fashion designer. Her collections are famed … Read More ›
Taking the pencil as symbolic of creativity, art and craft, Amalgamated is a project by Finnish artist Tuomas Markunpoika which examines the pencil as a … Read More ›
Set in the Street, a collaboration between Justin Bettman and stylist Gozde Eker, is a Wes Anderson inspired photography project involving the salvaging of furniture and … Read More ›
Delicate street art by Polish artist NeSpoon can be found in abandoned urban spaces all the way from Warsaw to Tunisia. Decorative lace touches are given to … Read More ›
The EcoChic Design Award is a sustainable fashion design competition which challenges emerging designers to create mainstream clothing with minimal textile waste. The competition is … Read More ›
Anthropologie opened their first store in Pennsylvania in 1992 and are renowned worldwide for their stunning window displays. These creations are mostly made from humble, recycled … Read More ›
Dan Rawlings creates intricate artwork from pieces of scrap metal. His imagery is inspired by the fresh mindset of childhood, the fractal beauty of nature … Read More ›
Spotted at Tent London last month, German product designer Marcel Dunger reuses pieces of broken maple wood to create beautiful handmade jewellery. Manufract is comprised … Read More ›
Gary Dickins is a self-taught artist based in Taunton, Somerset. Dickins uses a vast range of found materials in his work including handmade paper, canvas, earth, … Read More ›
Hana Mitsui is a Royal College of Art student who recently received a visionary award at the SustainRCA Show & Awards. For her graduation project, … Read More ›
Earlier this year, Valencia based graffiti artists Pichi & Avo created a gargantuan work of art using a canvas of shipping containers covered in images of Greek gods. The … Read More ›
Graduating from Central Saint Martins last year, Katie Jones is another hot new designer to showcase their work at London Fashion Week’s Estethica SS15. Jones is a knitwear … Read More ›
Jeremy Mayer is a California based artist with no formal art training. Mayer disassembles typewriters and puts them back together to create anatomically correct human figures … Read More ›
This month, a new art installation was revealed on a quiet street in Liverpool. A large fish tank full of serene jellyfish was installed behind the shutters … Read More ›
Labyrinth of Plastic Waste is an installation by Luzinterruptus which featured in Poland’s Katowice Street Art Festival last month. “We were looking to demonstrate, in a poetic manner, … Read More ›
The São Paulo Collection by Studio Swine is a range of lighting and furniture inspired by the Brazilian tropical modernism of the 1950s. They have created bottle bulbs … Read More ›
Kollektivemind* are an Athens based design team specialising in architectural research and implementation. Projects such as Argallios (loom) pictured above explore the potential of reuse and … Read More ›
Lisa Hoke‘s fascinating sculptures and installations are made from discarded paper and card, paper cups and household goods. Combined, the sprawling clusters of waste looks … Read More ›
New York photographer Bing Wright makes stunning photographs of sunsets and landscapes that are reflected in shattered mirrors. The real life photographs are huge measuring … Read More ›
Portuguese urban artist Alexandre Farto (aka Vhils) creates stunning murals from decomposing walls using chisels, drills and small explosives. Seeing the act of deconstruction as a creative … Read More ›
Alexander Korzer-Robinson is a UK based artist who creates beautiful book sculptures using cut out images from old encyclopaedias and books. His work contains narratives that … Read More ›
Creations by American interdisciplinary artist Agustina Woodgate involve clever use of disregarded materials. Skin Rugs is a collection of rugs made from disassembled stuffed animal toys. … Read More ›
Ephemeral Rays is an installation of burnt out lightbulbs by artist Charlotte Smith, for a Fine Art degree show at the University of Kent last year. The … Read More ›