Results tagged “gotta see it”

Finding an artist like Elene Usdin reminds me that it's a great thing to be multifaceted and we don't always have to concentrate on that one avenue of our work.  Expanding and trying it all can produce some seriously fantastic work.  See for yourself:

3,615 pounds.  Three thousand, six hundred fifteen pounds. That's how much textile waste is created by New Yorkers every 5 minutes, and that's where sculptor Derrick Melander steps in.


Melander takes our tired, old, stained and faded clothing and turns it into art creating yet another way to recycle.  He separates by color (and sometimes gender), folds to exact dimensions and layers the clothing so it stacks perfectly. 

However, he's not just tossing it all together. There's a bit of an emotional process involved as well, as with all art. 

From his statement:

"When I come across a dress with a hand-sewn repair, or a coat with a name written inside the collar, the work starts to feel like a collective portrait."

Back in September, Derrick created a 3,615 pound sculpture (so you can see just how much we waste in a 5 minute period) resulting in a 5x7' cube.  It was done in one day with the help of the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education and was part of the 5th annual Green Brooklyn... Green City Fair.  Check out the video to see more and then consider what you're doing to help cut down on textile waste, eh?

So this morning I'm desperately seeking some kind of inspiration.  Naturally the first place I go is my hand dandy and overwhelmingly full feed reader (FYI - I use Feedly and you should too... best feed reader ever!).  

I never seem to have enough time for all feeds I've subscribed to so I thought I'd try a little experiment today and highlight some of the pieces that caught my eye.  Let me know what you think, eh?  Did you find anything wonderful in your reader today?

You should see:

• Check out this super fun video that is both emotional and makes me want to go out and play. Also inspired me to find the musician on Grooveshark. Take a listen to Gonzales solo piano work, it's beautiful. via- BOOOOOOOM