Old Objects Fit New Purposes

Cigarette box toaster from Kingston Penitentiary.

iPod Nano case by Contexture Design.

The Royal Ontario Museum presented an exciting exhibition of creative redesign, playfully entitled Cut/Paste. Curated by Motherbrand, this display showed work that is made from salvaged and reused objects that have found new, creative niches.

What once may have been considered obsolete or of-the-past were repurposed to have more up-to-date functions. Cofounder of Motherbrand, Todd Falkowsky, says “Environmental sustainability is an issue that most of these designs address in some way. This is a powerful tactic for reducing our consumption of energy and materials; it forces us to reconsider what we consider waste.” This strategy, rumored to be the way of the future, is sure to successfully deal with the growing pressures from the struggling economy and environment.

The Cut/Paste exhibit ran from January 20th to 31st of 2010.

Via TreeHugger.

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To Create Without Waste, Using Waste

Everyone, save for Sandhi Schimmel Gold of Phoenix, hates junk mail.

Rather than immediately dispose of the paper nuisances, she turns junk mail into art! Using old cards, advertisements, menus, calendars and even personal tax forms, Gold creates portraits on repurposed canvases and frames with acid free adhesives and lacquers. No programs, dies, or technology of any sort were utilized in the creation of these intricate works. Everything Gold does, she does by hand.

There is a deeper meaning to her art. Gold says, “Where can beauty be found in a culture of conspicuous consumption? I believe we are an aggregate of tiny bits: who we are and where we’ve been – or who we want or pretend to be. Each piece expresses a mood – a calculated effect – high drama, serenity, sexuality or humor.”

Her paper portraits are currently on display at the Springs Preserve Museum in Las Vegas through March 15 of 2010.

Visit Gold’s website to see more, where “sophistication meets sustainability.”

Via TreeHugger.

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Furniture From Old Furnishings

Reconstituted wood and recovered wooden blinds sofa.

Recovered wooden tiles coffee table.

When you’re finished with home finishings, it does not constitute the end of the items’ lifetime. Argentine design studio Gruba has found uses for old blinds, wooden floor tiles, and other discarded materials.

The content and components of these furniture designs are not hidden; Gruba designers made sure to expose the beauty within recycled materials. Their primary intention was to showcase what is usually hidden, so these materials can be fully appreciated.

In addition to giving these materials a second life, each design has the ability to be disassembled and recycled even further.

Via TreeHugger.

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Students Display The Colorful Side Of Reusing Materials

More photos found at designboom.

Students from the German school, Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart (Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences) displayed their innovatively artistic side at the most recent home interiors exhibition of imm cologne 2010.

Their installation’s focus was on reusing thousands of discarded and collected bottle caps, utilizing them to create a colorful and eye-catching backdrop to their miniature furniture models. On top of their immense bottle-cap creation, the Stuttgart students also placed beanbag seats filled with even more bottle caps. While the comfort level is questionable, the creativity and eco-insight is greatly appreciated.

Via designboom.

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Artists Reusing Materials: Old Clothes Get a Life After Love

Artist Derek Melander of New York is using old clothes as a building block for architectural-scale sculptures valuing their previous life as a historical record of the human experience. “As clothing wears, fades, stains and stretches it becomes an intimate record of our physical presence. It traces the edge of the body, defining the boundary between the individual and the outside world” says Melander.

He meticulously folds the clothes to exact dimensions and pays close attention to their ordering within the sculpture. “For example, the sequence can relate to the way we layer the clothing we wear or the clothing can be sorted by color, gender or by the order that it was received. Individual components are often connected together with shirt sleeves, pant legs and belts forming bridge-like appendages”, he explains.

Via Daily Tonic.

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The Playful Side of Upcycling

Ryan McElhinney redefines upcycling with his new collection of lamps and mirrors. Transforming trash to treasure, McElhinney has created beautiful sculptural pieces from old toys and some high-gloss lacquer. Check out the rest of the collection here and keep your eye out for more innovative upcycling ideas and products!

Via Buzz Beast.

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Recycled Beverage Containers

Image from iF Material Award 2009

For those of us who are always on the go and cannot live without a cup of coffee every morning, check out these tumblers made of yogurt and ice cream containers! According to Aladdin’s research, it’s difficult to use recycled polypropylene (PP) for direct food contact surfaces but these tumblers passed both FDA and EU safety regulations. You can throw these in the dishwasher and the microwave. The material, eCycle® is engineered for Aladdin’s SUSTAIN® Collecion and featured in iF Material Award 2009.

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The Reusable Bag Debate

Image: Apartment Therapy

According to a study conducted by the Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC) in Canada, there are health risks with using reusable bags. Cathy Cirko, the Vice President of EPIC, stated that “reusables are a breeding ground for bacteria and pose public health risks – food poisoning, skin infections such as bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering of asthma attacks, and ear infections.”

Naturally, reusable-bag-lovers have dismissed the study as the plastics industry’s attempt to slow the growing movement towards plastic reduction. That may be true, but consumers should rather take the news as a reminder that a little dose of common sense goes a long way. There are a few things that can be done to ensure that reusable bags do not backfire as an environment friendly option while posing health risks. For multipurpose uses, separate bags should be used to carry different items, such as grocery and gym equipment. Even for grocery, meat, dairy products, and vegetables should be carried in separate bags. In the case that bags are carrying food, the they can and should be washed regularly and carefully.

Many reusable bags are washable; although the ones made from recycled bottles can be cleaned, bags made of organic or recycled cotton may be easier since they can be thrown in with the rest of laundry and dried in a conventional washer (or line dried to save energy).

Click here to view EPIC’s study

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