We see something others would throw away and turn it into an artwork. In the simplest terms, upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value. This is done by reusing discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. Upcycling is described by some as reusing a
material without degrading the quality and composition of the material for its next use. Recycling involves chemical transformation procedures. For example, through a chemical process, old plastic bottles can be turned into a durable fabric. Likewise, heating old glass to the point of melting (technically a chemical process because of changes at the molecular level) allows it to be poured, blown, or otherwise re-formed into new glass items. One problem with recycling is that it can be self defeating, in that the amount of recourses and energy used to recycle an object can be wasted if the recycled product still ends up as landfill. This is why when we use recycled products they become a permanent piece of art and, hopefully, do not end up as landfill. What about restoring? Sometimes we come across an item that challenges us to restore it to its original form. While restoration is a very time consuming job the reward is worth it. Upcycle or collect? We have people tell us we are wrong to upcycle books and records. They say they should be kept and collected. We agree a lot of rare books and records should be kept in original condition. We have many items we are collecting, including books and records. Some books and magazines we have are over 100 years old. Some are very fragile and we are slowly restoring them. The books and records we upcycle are not so rare as to qualify as one of our collectibles. We argue that rather than lock these away in a cupboard only to be viewed every now and then, our upcycles turn these items into artworks that can be on display daily. They can be viewed, read and talked about. In fact one of our goals, when a person first sees one of our pieces, is to trigger a memory or thought and start a conversation about the history of the piece. To us this is how to appreciate a collectible.
