discarded materials in more ways than I have time to mention here! Jen is also building a welding studio in the main barn where she will be teaching the fundamentals of welding not only for practical use, but also for the creation of art. So, if by the end of this article you feel the itch to see upcycling in action at its finest, do yourself a favor and look up Channery Hill Farm on Facebook and contact them for their next farmer’s market location. Beyond the practical application of repurposing the no longer purposeful, what about fashioning something busted into something beautiful? This concept has been around a lot longer than you may think. Setting aside the still popular Amish Quilt, you know you have one somewhere, where old swatches of fabric are stitched together to make a brand-new bed spread or sometimes simply displayed on a wall, upcycling as an art form has been popularized for over a hundred years. Dadaists such as Marcel Duchamp with his "Bicycle Wheel" (1913) and “fountain" (1917) and even Pablo Picasso's "Bull head" (1942) which was a pair of handlebars and a bicycle seat, his own personal nod to the Dadaists, have been unanimously considered masterpieces within their respected genres. Even something as simple as gluing sea shells and star fish on an old bit of driftwood is technically upcycling as art. Mosaics made of bits of glass or broken pottery work as well. The “upcycling as art” boom is obvious if you venture into any craft fair or consignment shop. The sheer number of items and insanely creative ideas is mind-boggling! Behind every upcycled product stands a craftsman who is fiercely battling the flood of mass produced, production line trinkets endlessly marching down a conveyor belt straight onto the shelves of some name brand, big market store. Luckily, traditional craft and family entrepreneurship has been making a come back over the last several years. More proof in the power of upcycled art can be found by checking out websites such as Etsy.com and Pinterest. Considering that diyvinci.com reported way back in 2011 that the "upcycle" tag on sites such as Etsy.com jumped over 275% in just one year and a search I did just a minute ago on the same site resulted in 293,483 listed items, it would be irresponsible not to! So, whether you go upcycle art shopping online or on foot, you’ll soon discover that every item is one of a kind and holds a beautiful history behind it – which makes for a fantastic gift! Speaking of art forms, music has also been impacted by the idea of upcycling. Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy (as well as countless others) considered their first guitar to be a length of old wire strung up between two nails on a porch post or the side of a barn. A broken bottle neck or smooth bit of metal and presto, a slide guitar. The early blues world and mountaintop bluegrass artists also introduced the world to
cigar box guitars. Again, a box, a plank, some wire, and something to slide along the strings and you're on your way. Of course, mankind has been doing this for eons with animal horns and sea shells, skins stretched over something to make a drum, gourdes as rattles, and on and on and on. They were upcycle revolutionaries and didn’t even know it!
On an environmental note, upcycling has a monumental impact on our atmosphere. As an example, according to Worn Again Technologies, "for every ton of discarded textiles used again, 20 tons of CO2 is prevented from entering the atmosphere". That...is a lot. Clearly the environmental benefits of upcycling are tremendous. Besides minimizing the ridiculous amount of “stuff” that we poor into our landfills each year, upcycling also helps reduces the need for more mass production. Less industrial production means using less raw materials and of course that translates into less water pollution, less air pollution and a general softening of the endless strain on our global resources. For instance, did you know it takes roughly 713 gallons of water to produce the cotton to make ONE t-shirt? Again, that….is a lot! So, for future reference, turn that old t-shirt into a dish rag, dusting cloth or even maybe a bandana for your dog. Your grandkids might appreciate it. This world we live in has its limits and the resources around us are getting more and more limited by the day. Whether you’re trying to save the world, one broken bit at a time, or just looking to find a way to occupy your kid this summer break, dig around in your garage or attic, back in that corner of discarded “stuff”, and let your imagination fly! You might not save the planet, but you just might create something useful that brightens your day and doesn’t cost you a penny!
Jeffersonville Journal – 11