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ShelterPop: Salvaged Art Gone Chic, June 2010
Download Article (.pdf)A few talented artists turn found, recycled and flea market items into sculptures.
Have you ever been to a flea market, picked up an object with love and promptly said, "I love this but what am I going to do with it"? Well, here are some artists who know exactly what to do.
Bahdeebahdu, a working studio in Philadelphia dedicated to developing sculptures, furniture and one-of-a-kind lighting, recently invited nine artists to create artwork made from repurposed or discarded items. The results reveal an interesting scavenger's point-of-view, and a little about human consumption.
Artist Rebecca Pulver culled ceramic objects from thrift stores and resale shops over several months to create "Junk in the Trunk." The installation is a functioning shower wall covered with ceramic plates, cups, vases and anything else Pulver could find ($300 per square foot by commission). "I am drawn to found objects because they have a past, and I allow them to dictate what they become," she says. She's often inspired by what she calls "urban dumping grounds," or areas overrun with plants that slowly break down man-made structures. "My inspiration are plants and the deterioration of anything that is marked with the visibility of time," she says.
The passage of time can certainly be seen in "A Watched Pot," by Bahdeebahdu co-owner RJ Thornburg. The work was created when he accumulated a pile of rusted and deteriorated metal objects while cleaning the grounds of his country home. Thornburg has taken these objects and created a series of them encased in plexiglass giving ubiquitous household items a certain elegance ($1200 to $3200).
From a different viewpoint, "Envelopes," interprets artist Lauren Herzak-Bauman's vision of everyday, disposable products made into porcelain slip sculptures ($40 for small, $50 for large).
For those who love flea markets and thrift shops, what should people look for to inspire creativity? Pulver suggests looking at trash differently. "Anything discarded can be made into something useful if you harness your creativity and focus on the object," she says.
http://www.shelterpop.com/2010/06/16/salvaged-art-gone-chic/