Joya: arte + ecología / new works by previous resident artist Eva Mantell
Joya: arte + ecología past resident artist Eva Mantell has some new works we thought we might share. I found myself using the word ‘upcycle’ to describe how she has transformed discarded wax paper coffee cups into delicate sculptures. But then I thought I should cross reference the word and I came across something interesting…
Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.
The first recorded use of the term upcycling was by Reiner Pilz of Pilz GmbH in an interview by Thornton Kay of Salvo in 1994.
‘We talked about the impending EU Demolition Waste Streams directive. “Recycling,” he said, “I call it downcycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling where old products are given more value not less.” He despairs of the German situation and recalls the supply of a large quantity of reclaimed woodblock from an English supplier for a contract in Nuremberg while just down the road a load of similar blocks was scrapped. In the road outside his premises, was the result of the Germans’ demolition waste recycling. It was a pinky looking aggregate with pieces of handmade brick, old tiles and discernible parts of useful old items mixed with crushed concrete. Is this the future for Europe?
You can read more here
Clearly this excerpt is referring to the nature of reclaimed material, it’s usage and functionality. These are not terms I would apply to Mantell’s work or any artists work. The question ‘does art have a function’ is extraneous and not worthy of comment. What Mantell does is transform the discarded and everyday object into something wonderous. She ameliorates the casual excesses of our disposable society. You can see more of Eva Mantell’s work here Eva Mantell
