Art from Recycled Materials

February 16, 2007

Recent student art exhibits have highlighted the use of recycled materials. Here a student tests out his chair, constructed of cardboard.

Awareness of global warming is on high heat this month at Exeter, with the monthlong Green Cup Challenge more than halfway over. All over campus you see reflections of environmental awareness.

The art department recently hosted two student shows in the Mayer Art Center, both building on recycled materials. "RECYCLED, RECLAIMED, Found Object Sculpture" showcases sculptures made entirely of recycled objects. Art instructor Vivian Komando challenged the students to think creatively, citing Marcel Duchamp as a potential inspiration. "Students had to approach this with a very open mind and very different approaches due to the materials collected," she explains. "Not only did we study sculptural elements and principles, but also technique and style in creating and symbolism."

What did the students include in their sculptures? Everything from soda cans to printed circuit board diagrams. The sculptures are playful and full of originality. "The students responded very well to creating from nontraditional materials," explains Komando. "The choice of objects added a whimsical aspect to the works."

Evan, a senior, created a sculpture called "The Recycle of Life," which incorporates tree branches and soda cans. "The overall shape and design of the piece is organic, as it is a tree," he writes in the exhibition notes. "Trees represent life and they give life by supplying oxygen. This [piece] parodies the fact that industrialization and major corporations destroy the environment."

The second exhibit consists of chairs – real chairs – constructed from cardboard. The chairs show fantasy – there's at least one throne in the show -- as well as function. Some are exotic, others have a cleanly-styled Bauhaus aesthetic. "After doing the initial Art 201 project of a geometric grid which has to change form and scale," explains Nick Dawson of the art department, "my students are asked to build something that works." The end result this year was a chair. "One of the students took the project so ethically," explains Dawson, "she refused to use tape or glue. She relied only on cutting and fitting to construct her chair."

Interested in learning more?

Learn more about Exeter's art department...