Reverse Graffiti
Graffiti is one of the most controversial art forms out there since it defaces public property. Well a group of students from Durban, South Africa have a different outlook on the popular art form. What if graffiti artists actually cleaned up the walls by etching their sketches into the grime that already exists on them. They named this process, reverse .
I think that this is an amazing innovation to street art. It’s so dramatic and although graffiti has real attitude and personality i think this is a real strong competitor. Everyone notices street art what a great form of advertising this would be with no harm to the enviroment at all. This definitely has appeal. Is it the role of the designer to challenge traditional methods art for new contemporary ways.
some more sustainable art…
Just a few more things I came across on a website that i really like.
Some old vinyl records and combined them with wheat paste graffiti to create a new kind of urban fossil.
Paul Vilinski has rescued crushed beer cans from the streets of New York and turned them into a montage of flying butterflies. He took advantage of the nice arc that a beer can has and carefully cuts each to create each butterfly. I love the shadow the butterflies create on the clean white wall.
These colourful toys are actually being used as real life building blocks. Artist Jan Vormann took a team of volunteers across Brooklyn and Manhattan as part of the VOLTA art show to fill in the blanks with the building blocks of our childhood.
I love all of these eco-friendly sustainable sculptures. It’s really got me interested in sculpture i think i would like to pursue this idea further. I think that if you are trying to communicate an important message big is better, get recognised, get heard!
source: http://inhabitat.com/art/
Just a few things……
The Pavillion
This sculpture is made of natural materials and was on display for the 2009 UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen and received a JEC Innovation Award for showing cutting edge possibilities of using sustainable and intelligent materials in design. The artwork was created by 3XN architects together with StageOne Freeform Composite, Skykon and COWI.
“We believe the future is with new materials that require less energy to produce than aluminium or concrete. And now we hope that the knowledge gained from the project can be used in other applications, and possibly in other industries.” Kim Herforth Nielsen, founder of 3XN
“It is fascinating to think that, with the right materials, human activity can be converted into useable energy, just as when kids playing on the pavilion illuminate its integrated LED lights. The pavilion has made it possible for us to demonstrate how sustainable and intelligent materials can be used as construction materials.” COWI R&D Director Bente Andersen.
A project like this offers new answers to environmental concerns often raised when using materials such as polyester, glass fibres,concrete etc. There is a growing need for the composite industry to find answers to energy consumption during production and to the recycling process. this project offers an environmentally friendly solution. This project promotes innovation if designers can produce amazing sculptures like this with eco-friendly materials for the same price shouldnt we all be considering this!!!
Tyre Horse Sculpture by Jeff koons.
This sculpture is made purely from recycled tyres. I thought i would put this on because i think it looks awesome, it would definitely stop me in the street.
Mark Coreth’s polar bear
The Ice Bear Project create sculptures that inspire audiences everywhere to make a connection with the Arctic. They are life size polar bears in ice with a bronze skeleton. As the public are encouraged to touch the sculpture, their actions impact by warming the ice and the polar bear melts to its metal skeleton on a shrinking iceberg.
I think this idea is extremely innovative in ways that the audience can get involved with the art and its environmental messages it stands for. This is definitely breaching the boundaries this is a piece of art that people can interact with and that they can change and have an impact on. I love this idea it is definitely more thought provoking than that of a boring poster that probably wouldn’t get noticed. How could you not notice this. This particular image was one of the sculptures placed in Copenhagen outside the climate change summit last year.
http://www.icebearproject.org/
Masking more out of less it’s a seat a fence and a sculpture. Brilliant!!
London Oasis
London Oasis designed by architect Laurie Chetwood. The Oasis is a demonstration of sustainability and renewable energy working with architecture to provide a tranquil oasis for London. The 12 metre high structure mimics the design of a growing flower: its “petals” open and close in response to the sun and the moon utilising daylight to generate power. It also contains a hydrogen fuel cell and wind turbine to make it self-sufficient. It even uses rainwater it has collected for irrigation and cooling. Inside the petals, there are five “people pods,” which visitors pull down over their heads. Once enclosed, they can retreat from the busy streets to breathe clean, cooled air while relaxing to music and bird songs. The Oasis interacts with the environment around it. It senses time, the weather and people, and responds accordingly. At night, it uses energy stored during the day to power a beacon in the form of a light show which responds to the movement of people around.
Again this is another piece of art that its “visitors” can interact with and can use guilt free knowing that its self efficient and not creating any harm to the enviroment. Perhaps it is the role of the designer to create design that people can use or enjoy with feeling no guilt for the enviroment.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13436983/
The Green Sculpture
Architects from LAVA thought up this installation in a five floor shopping centre in Sydney. The sculpture is 20 metres in height and consists of easy fabric tense on an aluminium basis. The main reason I liked this piece is the fact that it utilises the space provided with minimal wastage its definitely a big statement.
Richard Long
Richard Long makes nature the subject of his work, but in new different way. He works outside using natural materials like grass and water which then evolved into the idea of making a sculpture by walking. Walking itself has its own cultural history, from Pilgrims to contemporary long-distance walkers.
Longs first work made by walking, in 1967, was a straight line in a grass field, which was his own path, going ‘nowhere’. Longs intention was to make a new art which was also a new way of walking: walking as art. Each walk followed his own unique route. Each walk stood for a particular idea. Thus walking as art provided an ideal means to explore relationships between time, distance, geography and measurement. Long records his in three ways: in maps, photographs or text works. All these forms feed the imagination, they are the distillation of experience.
Walking also enables Long to extend the boundaries of sculpture. Sculpture could now be about place as well as material and form. His landscape sculptures are on two ends of the spectrum they may be a built monument of natural material or simply leaving only footprints in the landscape. Stones from his walks can be used as markers of time or distance, or exist as parts of a huge sculptures. On a mountain walk a sculpture could be made above the clouds, perhaps in a remote region, bringing an imaginative freedom about how, or where, art can be made in the world.
Richards Longs work is not only a form of sustainable design in the sense that it does not harm the enviroment. He may tread down some grass photograph it and then the area is left to return to its natural state once again. But also Longs work defeats borders and boundaries. Who says that art belongs on paper or on a canvas on a wall in a gallery instead Long will create his installations out in the natural enviroment with the freedom of space around the art as opposed to a confined piece of paper. Long has a new contemporary outlook on art and i think its brilliant he has now boundaries his works are mainly spontaneous which is probably what makes them so thought-provoking.
As a designer do we have the role to create art in a new space, make people view art in a new way. The enviroment itself is art perhaps we should just sit back and enjoy that for a while.
Organic cotton
I have just recently brought an organic cotton t-shirt and I love it. Just made me think of being environmentally friendly : ) They are all over the high street and don’t even vary in price that much from normal cotton t shirts everyone should buy them as an alternative.
350.org
350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis. The campaign is designed to create a new sense of urgency. Why 350? Scientists say that 350 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity whereas we are at 387 ppm.
The 350 mission was introduced with the animation below which as there are more than 4000 languages spoken around the world, words don’t always get the point across. I come across this animation on a random site and thought it was brilliant. It caught my eye and it wouldn’t matter what language which in my eyes makes it a successful piece of design with regards to their aim. It also reminded me of work i have been doing recently with isotypes.
Is it the designers role to be universal?
Recycled fabrics
An interesting example of reuse of recycled fabrics is that of Ashley Watson. She makes eco-friendly hand bags made from recycled leather that she finds in charity shops. This may be a great idea for creating less waste and the reuse of materials BUT some people feel it promotes the killing of animals, because it is still leather.
Is it ok for an environmentalist to wear leather even if it is recycled?? This is a product that sits on the fence between being environmentally friendly and NOT being environmentally friendly. It was once an animal killed to make a jacket but now risks being chucked into landfill so is it best to reuse and recycle?
With this issue im afraid im still on the fence. I do not agree with the killing of animals for clothes because it is not needed whatsoever. Yet if it is happening anyway this recycling method of the leather seems a perfect way to protect the enviroment from any further damage us humans create. As a designer it is our job to come up with a solution to a problem in this case the waste of leather and I do think its a successful solution although I would definitely prefer if the leather wasnt there to be reused in the first place.
Here are a couple of pics of Ashley Watsons bags. ( I especially like the features she maintains in the bags like buttons, zips and pockets.)
Fashion and Fabrics
The fashion industry possibly one of the biggest industries that could make a world-wide impact with its products. When it comes to purchasing in the ever growing fashion market place it is up to the consumer to put their money into eco-friendly companies who put the environment first. Aswell a this it is also up to the designer to encourage and persuade the consumer to buy the products else the environmentally friendly design idea will NOT succeed.
So what makes a fabric eco-friendly?? Eco-friendly essentially means “treading lightly” on the earth. There are three main factors that make a fabric eco-friendly: 1. The renewability of the product, the resource need to be renewed effectively in a short space of time. 2. The ecological footprint of the product, therefore how much land is used and needed to bring the plant to full growth and to support it. 3. The eco friendliness of the product therefore how much chemicals and pesticides are required in the growth and process of the plant before ready to sell.
Environmentally friendly companies usually also care about other factors such as: fair-trade labor NO SWEATSHOPS, sustainable goods in the sense that products made locally in order to use less fuel, animal cruelty NO LEATHER AND FUR and finally making sure the product is recyclable or even made from recycled goods.
Hemp 
Hemp fabric has the most potential to be eco-friendly for a number of reasons. It’s ecological footprint in considerably smaller than that of others. It also doesn’t require pesticides to grow, along with requiring no irrigation as it can survive on the amount of water in the average rainfall. Hemp has long fibres which makes it suitable for spinning with minimum processing. These long fibres are long-lasting which makes it incredibly durable and therefore wears extremely well. Hence less need to shortly throw away into landfill after purchasing. www.recycledsilk.com/hempnettle.html
Bamboo is a highly renewable grass, and it is probably this property that has resulted in its being classified as “eco-friendly”. It also has natural antibacterial properties and the fabric “breathes”. The resultant cloth is biodegradable
Recycled and vintage fabrics
Recycled fabric is great because it goes back into the market instead of ending up at a landfill. I feel this is a brilliant way to not waste fabric. Vintage fabrics are awesome and this method is definitely becoming more popular now in young people. Mainly because you don’t have to lose style but just gain more. Within fashion this is on the rise and becoming a new way of dressing. Creating your own statement with recycled fabric, everyone can essentially be the designer. I love it!!
Organic cotton
Anything created organically (without the use of chemicals like pesticides or herbicides) is always a winner. Organic cotton falls nicely into this category.
I especially think its important that consumers wise up to the issue belonging to fashion and fabrics. It is a huge factor in most peoples lives. A small change for some of the clothing you purchase to be environmentally friendly could make a huge difference to the enviroment. Now it is the designers job to design clothing that is appealing to the consumer using these eco-friendly methods.
UNICEF
Children around the world are having their rights denied every day. UNICEF is working in 193 countries to protect these rights making sure children’s voices are heard and listened to. UNICEF relies on voluntary donations to fund our vital work for children and their rights. They receive no funding from the UN budget. UNICEF UK raises funds for these programmes through donations, the sale of cards and gifts, partnerships with companies and special events.
UNICEF story: Shumon 13, lives in a slum in Bangladesh and works seven hours a day making pots in an aluminium factory. Unlike other children his age, he has no time to go to school. “At work I sometimes hurt my hands, which is really painful.” He is under pressure to work fast because he is paid by the number of pots he can produce and his family desperately needs the money.
Is this ethically correct?? Of course it’s not but yet it still happens. What can we do as designers to prevent child labour, probably nothing as it’s a way of life in under developed countries but just because of this does that mean we shouldnt try. In my eyes, no not at all if i could do something as a designer to help destroy this way of life for children I would and I would not expect to be paid!!! Although not all people and designers would think in this way.
UNICEF works to give children rights as they have the right to have them just like all of us. If they knew different their ethical outlook on the situation would in no doubt change.
How can we help?? whether it be a donation or a design campaign to promote the charity every little helps. Would designers want to get involved with a charity such as this? Well I remember Gareth Lawn claiming that he wouldn’t feel comfortable designing a campaign for a charity as he would not want the responsibility if it did not succeed. This is a fair point to make although i think the effort is still needed and i would at least try!!
Say yes or no to work
“We are problem solving communicators but feel we cannot afford to turn down work (ethics or Not) in the early days of our careers!”
All humans have their own ethics and standards but could money stand in the way? I would like to say for the majority that money wouldn’t be an issue but there is a small minority where money would sway their thoughts and ethical core. I believe in standing for what you believe is true and in the future if a job was offered to me that I was not comfortable with in terms of my ethical standards I would most definitely turn it down regardless of money.
I think as a designer we have the right to choose what jobs you wish to take on and which you don’t. Designers are human you would not participate in something you dot agree with in your normal life enviroment so why should you within your work enviroment or worse still be expected to!!!
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