Tag Archives: upcycling

Arts and Culture

Eye On Design: Curbed Vanity and Garden Chair By Chris Schanck

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chris schanck silver chair and vanity photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Commissioned by the Dallas Museum of Art in 2020, Curbed Vanity is artist Chris Schanck’s response to a work in the museum’s collection: an ornately-crafted 19th century dressing table and stool made of solid silver. Schanck made this 21st century version utilizing his signature, Alu-foil process, which combines aluminum foil and resin, alluding to the aluminum factory in his hometown of Dallas, where the young artist and his father once worked. Continue reading Eye On Design: Curbed Vanity and Garden Chair By Chris Schanck →

Design and Innovation

Upcyling Wooden Pallets for Creative Uses in The Garden

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garden path from wooden pallets
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Garden Walkway

There are times when a garden path becomes more than just a way to move through the landscape; it can also become a focal point. A wood pallet, even when dismantled, can be a great element in your garden. Making a wood pallet walkway is going to be an improvement because it will prevent you from compacting wet soil. It’s a good idea to use it in low-traffic areas of your garden; this means no garden carts or heavy wheelbarrows here.
Continue reading Upcyling Wooden Pallets for Creative Uses in The Garden →

Arts and Culture

Ceramic Mosaics on East 3rd Street

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united we stand mosaic photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Each day in NYC there is something to newly discover, no matter how long it’s been there.  I am rarely on the block of East 3rd Street between Avenues A and B, but I had occasion to walk that block during this past Sunday’s lovely snow storm. Because I always have an eye peeled for things that might be fun for the blog, I made the charming discovery that most of the buildings on the north side of the block (because that is the side I was on) have these cute and colorful ceramic tile mosaics on their facades, mostly around the doorways and near the steps.
Continue reading Ceramic Mosaics on East 3rd Street →

Arts and Culture

Jean Shin’s Floating Maize at Brookfield Place

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jean shin installation photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Fans of this blog will know that I am way into repurposing and recycling items that would otherwise end up in a landfill into both functional items and aesthetically pleasing works of art, so when I read about Floating Maize, artist Jean Shin’s new public art installation at the Brookfield Place mall, I braved the subway to get down there to check it out.

jean shin installation photo by gail worley
jean shin installation photo by gail worley

Known for her inventive works that transform discarded materials into elegant expressions of place and identity, Jean Shin’s art and practice is ingrained with the idea of sustainability. With that in mind, Shin has repurposed thousands of green plastic soda bottles into an elaborate installation that resembles an artificial landscape.

Post Continue After The Jump!

Continue reading Jean Shin’s Floating Maize at Brookfield Place →

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Bench IIa by Max Lamb

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bench IIa by max lamb photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

The Bench I I a (2017) by designer Max Lamb is one of the first prototypes made from solid textile board, a material composed of waste cotton.  Lamb created this piece for Really, a Danish company that focuses on upcycling discarded textile waste.

bench IIa by max lamb photo by gail worley
Installation View

Really mills used textiles into small fibers that are then bonded together with a special agent. The dark blue color of this bench comes from the cotton material, which is discarded denim. The bench is at once a functional object and a conversation starter regarding the reuse of waste materials. The museum installation includes a video (iPad screen seen above) in which Lamb discusses the making of the Really collection of furniture.

bench IIa by max lamb photo by gail worley

Photographed in the Art Institute, Chicago.