Reuse

A big trend in the art world is found-object art, as is using trash to create new things. I find that because my upbringing involved shopping at thrift stores and reusing everything and anything, this is a natural way for me to work. For the pieces I am making for the Library Company, I have used several found objects, although you might not realize it when you see the works.

For example, in my Roly Poly dolls, the counterweight that forms their base structure is made up of pieces from a set of broken computer speakers. They provided the right weight and shape, and so were perfect. Bits and pieces from manufactured toys, such as wheels, as well as sewing patterns for stuffed toys and dolls, have played a significant role in my constructions as well.

 

Metal and wood, when salvaged from the trash or finished construction sites, are wonderful cost-effective multi-purpose design materials. Fox example, the copper dress on my Dancing Fox is made from roofing scrap from a construction job my dad worked on a few years ago.

And the wood used to build the boxes of my recently started mechanical-motion tiger and voting bear are scraps from a sculpture I made last semester.

Reusing and repurposing in art is really a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Jesse Lentz
Moore College of Art ‘13
VCP Artist-in-Residence Intern

The Library Company of Philadelphia
1314 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
TEL 215-546-3181 FAX 215-546-5167
http://www.librarycompany.org