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Bringing Out the Best in Waste





Bringing Out the Best in Waste

Nothing goes to waste for creative minds. This is amply on display at the ongoing International Public Art Symposium in Bhubaneswar, where artists from across the globe have gathered to create beautiful pieces of art from waste materials.

The first of its kind symposium in the city is organised by ANPIC in association with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA).During the 20-day event, the artistic creations are being installed at an open park museum at Kalinga Vihar. The museum will be inaugurated on November 20.

Keeping in mind the Indian theme, most of the participating artists have crafted amazing animal figures, kinetic as well as contemporary art works by using parts of vehicles, cycles, scooters, pipes, rods and thin metal sheets collected from junkyards.

Nils Hansen, an artist from Germany, has used the motif of a crouching tiger for his artwork that gives an illusion of a moving animal. “I find the crouching tiger to be very sensual. The style of presentation is quite different and minimal. When you view it, you will get a hint, but then again you won’t be sure about what is happening. It’s a kind of mystery,” he says, adding that he wants to convey the message of conservation through his creation.Known as an excellent stone sculptor, Nils admits that working on metal is a different ball game. “I am a stone sculptor and not a metal artist. I find stone sensual, but you don’t get that feel in metal. It was a challenge for me to bring out sensuality with metal,” he shares.

Recounting his maiden trip to India, the German sculptor avers: “I would say my first experience in this country has been a combination of everything. The intense mixture of sound, heat and chaotic elements is truly amazing.”On using waste materials to create art, Nils says, “One can use anything to create something. Creativity has no boundary and limitation.”

Agrees Daniel Perez Sucrez, a fellow sculptor from Spain: “Creating something from waste is like giving a second life to something that has been discarded. We changed the meaning of junk. For instance, a wheel that was earlier used to help people move around could be turned into something artistic, which people could admire.”

Passionate about facial features and expressions, the Spanish artist has devoted his time in the city to create a face of Buddha. “I chose Buddha as my subject because I came to know that Buddhism has a special connect in Odisha. Ireally liked the expression of Buddha with closed eyes. It has a deep meaning with some sort of calmness and peace,”explains Daniel.His sculpture is like a puzzle with one half complete and the other half left incomplete. “It will be upto the imagination of viewers as to what they want to see and imagine. I have made half a portion and the final portion has to be created in your mind,” he says. “I believe that an artist should leave something for the imagination of the audience. If I made this similar to everything else, it would have been boring with people viewing it as just another piece on Buddha,” he goes on to explain.

Like Daniel, an “incomplete” sculpture of alion by Augusto Daniel Gullo from Argentina is another alluring piece of art. Made with iron rods, the figure casts anaesthetic spell on the mind.

“I was inspired by the lions on the Ashokan Pillar. I researched a lot about the aesthetic representation of the lion. While making the sculpture,I gave attention to the front side of the face and the claws so as to convey strength in different angles. I was not interested in developing it fully and so tried to project the animal from the front and then it vanishes from the back,” says Augusto. “With the animal instinct we have inside, the strength and determination, I feel that the sculpture conveys many other meanings.”The artist adds an afterthought: “Technically, a lion does nothing; rather it is the lioness that does everything. But we still consider the lion as the king of the jungle. Through this sculpture, I wanted to project a different lion to inspire people with a possibility that the animal would move someday and become the real king.”

The Argentinian says working with Indian artists at the symposium was amazing. “An interesting aspect of the symposium is that participants from different countries are coming together to raise the level of art. Through my work, I am also trying to show that the spirit of art in India is moving.I have been making all my sculptures alone, but here I got an opportunity to share my ideas with Indian artists and work together,” he says.The Ashokan Pillar motif has also inspired Heidi McGeoch,an artist from Australia. She has used 13 drums carved with inscriptions, motifs and slogans to replicate the pillar to spread the message of ‘Ahimsa’. “Originally, I developed this idea for Earth Hour for which I had used drums carved with motifs and displayed them in our backyard. I used solar lights to illuminate them. Here, I have used the same idea with a twist. I wanted to make my work meaningful for the Indian audience and so I thought that the Ashokan Pillar is more relevant than any other subject,” she says.

Heidi’s creation has a combination of science and creativity. Through proper arrangement of solar lights, her creation creates a beautiful impression of lights shining out of well-designed motifs and inscriptions.On the other hand, the creations by Didier Leemas from Belgium make one feel that his sketch book has come alive in the forms of 20-25-foot-tall sculptures. Didier has made two sculptures of an elephant and a wolf. “I used iron rods to make my sculptures and kept the rawness intact. I believe if we covered the sculptures with other panel, then they would have lost their essence. Hence, I kept them as it is.”

The love for animals is also reflected in the work of Rosli Zakaria from Malaysia. The artist has created a beautiful 20-foot-high gate like structure in the shape of a heart with the face of a deer on top of it. “My work is titled ‘Love My Deer’. But if we go by phonetics, the word ‘dear ’sounds the same. I used the symbol of heart and head of a deer to convey the message that don’t kill deer, but rather love and care for them. In Malaysia I have created many sculptures with the same concept.”Similarly, the concern for tiger conservation has inspired Anita Maria Wilhemina De Harde from Netherlands. “Tigers are also an integral part of our environment; we should protect them instead of killing them. I was shocked to learn about the latest killing of a tiger named Avni in India. In our country, we use sounds to keep them away from human settlements. Why can’t you utilise that system here in India? I believe in Ahimsa, a path showed by Indian spiritual gurus. I guess it needs to be practiced as well,” the Dutch artist explains the sentiment behind coming up with a sculpture of a tiger.

The symposium presents an ideal environment for Paddy Bloomer from Ireland, who has been using waste materials and broken things to give shape to his imagination since his childhood. Here, Paddy has used parts of a truck, cycle wheel and nuts and bolts among other materials to create a sculpture that rotates when we hand paddle the structure. While rotating, it produces interesting musical sounds. “I mostly create something that is interactive in some way. While looking at a sculpture, if the audience becomes a part of it, then creativity becomes more interesting. I love to engage people through my work.”Another artwork that engages the visitors is a balancing sculpture made with rods and parts of vehicles. The rods balance on each other and rotate in different directions, showcasing kinetic balance and energy. Mitteo Baroni from France, who made it,explains: “Kinetic balance is quite interesting to see. While collecting scraps, I found some rods and metal pieces, and started balancing them. I attached a heavy piece of metal at one end, but was amazed to see that the rods were still balancing. I realised that the heavy metal piece became lighter and they move swiftly.”

Baroni has also sculpted a spider’s web, which he says is an example of nature’s technology. “A spider designs its web to survive and get food. On the other hand, man has designed the chain to pull heavy weights and unfortunately also to imprison people. The chain in my work represents imprisonment. I decided to represent nature’s technology confronted with man’s technology. Spider uses technology to get food, where as we use technology to imprison and dominate others. It is a reflection of how we use our brain and our technology,” Baroni avers.

Royden Mills from Canada came up with an interesting creation representing the seven continents. He has hung a big stone in air with a supporting post, which is connected with six other stones through a metal pipe. It is about gravity that holds things and never let them fall. The seven continents float in the air by supporting each other, conveying the message that if work together, all our problems and worries could be solved. “It’s about supporting each other. My original idea involved three stones, but my co-artist Rahul R Bante suggested that we work with seven stones to represent the seven continents. Through this, we want to show that gravity is all a shared thing and we all can feel it. The stones are placed in such away that they represent the high and low phases, rising and again coming down to the ground. The tree in the background represents growth and a new beginning.”

Inspired by the ubiquitous autos on Indian streets, English artist Noha Rose has designed an auto as a beetle and decorated it with panels used in trucks and buses,giving it a glamorous look. “I really like the shape of the auto-rickshaw. I chose the motif of a dung beetle as it’s a humble creature. Despite its small size, the insect is quite hardworking. Similarly,the auto is not a glamorous vehicle, but it’s is also hardworking and keeps on moving.I found lots of resemblances in the shape of the dung beetle and the auto-rickshaw. So, we decided to glamorise the beetle in the disguise of an auto-rickshaw,”says the artist.

The work of South African artist Sandile Rodebe is also quite interesting. to see. Sandile has created a triangular shape with many triangles containing his native Zulu script and patterns. “I made a triangular structure that contains Zulu patterns and motifs. I wanted to convey the message of play through my work. As I am a Zulu, most of my works contain tribal motifs,” he says.“I found the idea of creating something out of waste materials unique. The moment I arrived at the venue on the first day, I would say I didn’t choose the materials, rather the materials chose me to express my creativity. I felt like they were waiting for me,” he adds.

Donald Buglass from New Zealand echoes the sentiment. Despite all the challenges, Donald finds working with scraps an interesting prospect. “I feel as if the material stimulates the direction of the sculpture and thereby becomes the director,” he asserts.

Talking about his creations, the multi-disciplinary artist says, “I am comfortable with all kinds of materials. I made an Indian kite, which is half way between a hawk and an eagle. These birds had a healthy population, but now they are dwindling. Through my work, I try to express my opinion about the environment and the damage we are doing. Apart from the concept of recycling, there is another significant concept of a bird spinning on an axis due to wind. I hope there would be enough wind to move it.”

Odia sculptor Chuguli Sahoo has created a beautiful peacock using spare parts of a cycle and a car. “I chose the peacock because it our national bird. When I saw the body of a car, I immediately thought that it was the right object to create my artwork,” he adds.

Another domestic artist, Jitendra Ojha from Baroda, has sculpted a big vanity bag. “A woman’s purse is a store house of everything. You ask for anything and it will surely have it,” he says. “I also feel a vanity bag is a symbol of freedom. I thought that it would definitely attract the attention of girls and they would want to click selfies in front of my sculpture,” he adds with a laugh.

Sashanka Mohapatra, managing trustee of ANPIC said, “We are overwhelmed to see the outcome of the symposium. Some of the works from the waste materials really came out really well. The main objective of the symposium has been to bring an awarennes about waste management. If we start thinking wisely, then nothing  can be considered as a waste. The open air museum will be dedicated to people where they can come and see the art work. “

Overwhelmed with the response to the symposium, event curator Khistish Das says, “Many interesting artworkshave come up from the minds of these artists. It’s amazing to see that waste materials could end up as something creative and beautiful. We are hopeful that these creations would attract the attention of one and all visiting the open museum. The BDA is planning to develop the area as a park, and so proper landscaping would be done to make these artworks attractive.”

Author: Monalisa patsani

Being into journalism since 2012, Monalisa loves listening to people and narrate their stories. She has been exploring different genres of journalism, but writing about the environment, places and people suits her interest.

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