On November 15 there are many events that promote recycling and talk about all the resources available in their community. A lot of organizations, businesses, and individuals even get to take a pledge to recycle more here. I am always being invited to events like these to provide an educational activity or to present artwork made of recycled materials. I constantly re-purpose, but for a special occasion and contribution I try to use the things that are very bulky and less likely to be recycled, for example, I pick up from hardware stores those large cardboard tubes that are leftover from carpet / linoleum rolls. They can also be found at fabric stores. They tell me they just pile them on a corner then trash them, so at least I get to give them one more use before I recycle them myself. I have done so many things out of these sturdy cylinders, like the one I mentioned on my previous post, but here are some more examples that can be adapted for a special event: Props and Sculptures - Repeat Reuse Here is an example of a repeatedly re-purposed cardboard tube. First it was a Greenpeace windmill awareness prop. Then it was turned into a Catrina for an Art Center for a Dia De Los Muertos event. Then it was a giant doll for Mother's Day. Finally it became a bus stop companion (named after those streets) ready to take pictures with, and was featured in roadside america. I have a new project in mind. I want to create a series of display panels using cardboard from large packaging material and have these tubes clamping the edges, similarly to folders that use rods to hold the paper together. I hope it works. I hope these ideas generated more ideas.
I hope you have a great recycling weekend. Temporary extravagant follies of a young architect... ... that I wish would last forever. I love the moon, I planned to take tons of pictures and talk about all the sky gazing parties offered at different locations, and about how incredible it was to see Mexican bats fly across the harvest moon tonight, but I was indoors, unavailable, without a camera, and very sad... until I came home and my son shows me this picture he took for me while he was taking pictures of his newest project. That's the teen architect. Ever since he was 3 he has been building amazing structures that he takes down immediately to start something new.
There was always something dangling from the balcony, or his bedroom walls ... and the car. When he was about 8, he had created all these electrical wiring systems that made sounds and lighting effects and needed a place to use them, so he built a wooden case then kept adding to it until it turned into a robot that was taller and heavier than him. He has about 10 projects going, and he feels there is always room from improvement, so they may either never be finished or be dismantled in a disapproving reaction. If I remember correctly, his room is sectioned into the following categories: nautical, retro, neon, letter S, Minecraft, Dr. Who, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, hats, and ties. There is no room for socks or shoes so these stay outdoors even in the rain. Wall colors... there are so many choices. When we can’t have it all we can find an alternative or a simple compromise. I can talk for hours about color and this is the reason why I am only focusing on one of them: Violet, a challenging choice. This is of course after I selected it from hues of purple, lavender, amethyst, mauve, lilac, blue-violet, red-violet... so many choices… I will explain more about unlimited colors and limiting choices but for now I just have to show this example. I needed to have the color violet in one of our freshly painted walls of our new house. I will also explain “needed” later. Because I was already having trouble with this difficult proposal, I decided to simplify the process by mixing up my own paint and showing it around to my family (husband) for the final approval. I mixed red and blue craft acrylics and painted a 3’ x 3’ area. Then added more blue to the mix and painted another square. For a slight variation I added more blue and painted another square. I added more red to the original mix and painted the last square. I did not use primer which made it possible to complete this project in under an hour. It was also very simple because I did not have to worry about the corners, trims, or ceiling. I just followed the lines. Well, not even that because I made lines with tape (I used a level and taped the squares). Later I decided to add an unused trim that has given it a more cohesive look. It can be still more provisional if a sheet of plywood or even fabric is used, but then the cost, time, and effort also changes. I spent less than $6.00 on this project and it was a great solution for a disagreement on color preferences and needs. |
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