Upcycling embraces the idea of making something new out of waste materials. (The term was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, authors of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.) Many artists have embraced the concept because trash is a free building material that comes in bulk, often in various colors, and at no cost to the environment. Below, find a few different examples—including a grotto made of wine bottles and a chandelier made of used eyeglass lenses—of ways in which artists have made one person's junk their treasure.
Scrap Metal Sculptures
Certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest scrap metal art sculpture, the "Forevertron"—weighing in at 320 tons—is located at Dr. Evermore's art park in Sauk County, Wisconsin. Artist Tom Every, an industrial wrecking and salvage expert with a lifelong interest in preserving historic machinery, built the futuristic sculpture from 20 years' worth of salvaged materials. Photo courtesy of Florador via Flickr.com.
Plastic Bag Polar Bear
This polar bear made entirely of plastic bags was displayed at the Eden Project, a green-themed tourist attraction in the United Kingdom (which is also the site of the world's largest greenhouse). Made of interwoven grocery bags from various supermarkets, it's one of many upcycled installations displayed throughout the complex. Photo courtesy of Kirk Laws-Chapman via Flickr.com.
In recent years, the 42 miles of coastline surrounding De Panne, Belgium, has been transformed into a gallery-like display of sculptures, installations and paintings. One such artwork is Andries Botha's family of wooden elephants trudging into the sea (one of which is shown above). Composed of thousands of small wooden pieces that are bolted onto metal structures, they were created for Beaufort Art by the Sea—an annual Belgium contemporary art exhibit. Photo courtesy of allfr3d via Flickr.com.
Eyeglass Lens Chandelier
One of many magnificent chandeliers by lighting designer Stuart Haygarth, "Optical" is made out of 4,500 lenses from prescription eyeglasses and is certainly a sight to see. Haygarth—who has been working on design projects that revolve around collections of objects since 2004—strung the lenses together, forming a perfect circle reminiscent of crystals or decorative glassworks. Photo courtesy of Stuart Haygarth via StuartHaygarth.com.
Plastic Bottles Afloat
Matt Dehaemers' installation "The Nereid Beckon" lived on the lawn of the Evanston Art Center in Evanston, Illinois, from June 2008 until May 2009. The five 16-foot sculptures were composed of approximately 6,000 clear plastic bottles and are reminiscent of bottles floating in the water. Inside each sculpture are thousands of messages written by Evanston residents. All five works of art point toward the Grosse Point Lighthouse and are filled with LED lights so they glow after dark. Photo courtesy of Amanda Spak via Flickr.com.
Wine Bottle Dome
Richard Pim's two-acre public garden is laid out amid a tangle of streams and ponds behind an old corn mill. Located in Pembridge, England, Westonbury Mill Water Gardens has become a popular tourist attraction—especially since the addition of the dome-shaped grotto above, which Pim built. Supported with concrete shuttering, the 11-foot-high dome is built from 5,000 donated wine bottles and houses reflective pools and ferns. Photo courtesy of Richard Pim via WestonburyMillWaterGardens.com.
Artistic duo Tim Noble and Sue Webster are known for their creative experiments, which often utilize waste materials and light projectors. The "trash" used is often rubbish they collect on the streets of London. Sans projector, the artwork above appears to be just a mess of paper bags and wrappers, but once a light is shone—at just the right angle—onto the heap of garbage, out comes a clearly outlined and detailed image reflected onto a solid-colored backdrop. Photo courtesy of < target="_blank">Wikipedia.com.