Brozek, Celestyna. The alchemists of up-cycling. www.greenbydesign.com, 25th May 2010. http://greenbydesign.com/2010/05/25/the-alchemists-of-up-cycling/
The key to a really fascinating and powerful and successful up-cycle is a certain amount of magic. Something kind of along the lines of “the whole is greater than the parts.” A transformation that not only makes you forget, but makes you dis-believe, the material’s beyond humble origins.
Platinum Dirt started by a duo of an engineer and fashion designer, they transform scrappy dirty car seats into leather jackets and accessories as icons of the apparel world, something more than status symbols; symbols of the singularity of a culture and of a movement towards global responsibility.
Gulnur Ozdaglar of Ankara, Turkey shows some amazing alchemy from her line called ‘tertium non data’. She explains this term as , “tertium non data translated from latin means: the third is not given. it is an alchemic term which refers to the process of combining two disparate elements to create a new, third element. the process of transformation is a mystery – an unknown…” With the simple tools of an open flame, scissors, a knife and a soldering iron, she transforms soda bottles into jewelry, bowls, and even plastic “petal” chandeliers, which look like the most expensive Venetian glass.
She makes the point that, “Recycling is not one of the bigger issues in Turkey, as we are dealing with unemployment, human rights and more, but I think it is everyone’s responsibility to live without harming the earth….I, all of my friends, and all of my neighbors, did not put one single bottle to waste last year. I make something out of all of them.”
The concept of creative up-cycling has started gaining momentum all across the world. With a growing number of eco-conscious citizens, we hope to see more and more unconventional forms of recycling come to light.
No comments:
Post a Comment