Art with a purpose

The world is under a lot of strain from resource depletion as the population continues to grow faster than we can create or source new resources. It is therefore paramount that the resources that are remaining and available be used wisely and efficiently so as to protect and secure sustainability for future generations.

One way of doing this is to recycle previously used materials like paper, plastic, metals and wood amongst others. As an artist, I employ this method as it not only helps the environment but it helps re-utilise materials that would have once been written-off as waste. Being an artist in Africa presents certain challenges like acquiring the materials needed to use. Recycling thus provides a cheaper alternative to getting materials whilst reviving waste and minimising cost. That does sound good because I believe every opportunity we get to cut costs and ‘do good’ in terms of saving the environment is crucial to community development and sustainability. To show you how important it is, even The United Nations through the Millennium Development Goals has the seventh one being to ensure environmental sustainability by the year 2015, which is just next year.

That said, since recycling is enabled by waste collection, there is a couple of criteria I consider when collecting the resource. Firstly, I consider the availability of the kind of waste. When say paper is in abundance, I do an art piece that requires paper like the helicopter shown in the insert above where I used old National Geographic and cardboxes magazines to make a 80cm model of an Apache Helicopter. This gave life to a pile of old magazines that would have been thrown away or worse, used as a source of fuel.

The other criteria I regard as I look for resources is the intended project I would have researched about. I have a passion for 2D as well as 3D art and so whenever I am out and about I will be looking to reuse something deemed lifeless. Many years back I stumbled on a mound of old, derelict, rusty yet beautifully useful metal in the backyard of a friend in Bulawayo, a town in Zimbabwe, and it completed the search to the materials I needed to make the 30cm model of a 1999 Freightliner truck. This was a project I had thought of to use metal as the structure which led me to revive it into the truck highlighting another recycling mission. Through recycling, I have made a host of art pieces particularly toys and wall hangings.

As an avid art lover and creator, I am much obliged at the effort my fellow artists put into recycling as they see the importance of this undertaking. In the next article I will be looking at the different ways that recycling in art has brought about good purpose and reason for a better development.