Upcycling is a way of removing items from the garbage or recycling chain.  Throwing everything in the garbage is not only a huge waste, but is clearly not working.  Landfills are overflowing and crowding out cities.  Recycling uses a certain amount of energy as well.  Upcycling, on the other hand, removes the item entirely from this loop, thereby conserving energy and being a more sustainable solution to trash.

Susan Stockwell is a London based artist who has showings throughout the UK, China, Taiwan, the United States and Europe.  It seems that two of her favourite artistic “topics” are dresses and maps.  She uses primarily used paper that has been heavily inscribed with it’s usage — such as maps, coffee filters, tea bags, etc.  She states that these contain the ” ‘Stains of Existence’ and ‘act as ready-made signifiers’ which she can sculpt and interweave in ways that delicately reveal their obscured politics and hidden beauty”.  

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Photo courtesy of David Morgan.

This dress is titled “Trayne” and is made entirely of paper and thread.  The train consists of stitched together used coffee filters.  The dress itself is made of coffee stained paper portion cups sewn together.  The fragility of the dress itself adds to grace and beauty of it.  It’s amazing how almost unrecognizable the coffee filters are from a distance.

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Photo courtesy of the artist.

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Photo courtesy of the artist.

This piece is titled “Cartographic dress” and was made in 2003.  It is made from two World Atlases with Central America being used as the shoulder strap and Brazil making up the back piece.  The overall flow of colour on the dress is gorgeous and reminds me of a beautiful blue green ocean.  The map lines suggest a patchwork of people and cultures converging together as one.

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Photo courtesy of Jeff Leyshon. Taken when on show at Studio Caparrelli.

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Photo courtesy of Jeff Leyshon. Taken when on show at Studio Caparrelli.

This piece also contains maps and is entitled “Empire Dress”.  It was made in 2005 from maps of the British Isles, paper and glue.  The bodice and bustle of this dress are very reminiscent of older English styles of dress.  It looks very prim and proper while at the same time being an incredible work of art.

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Photo courtesy of the artist.

This one is called “Highland Dress” and was made in 2008.  It was made from ordinance survey maps of the Highlands of Scotland.  It’s amazing how the artist, Susan Stockwell, is able to convey feelings of country and culture in her dress designs while simultaneously using maps of that very region.

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Photo courtesy of the artist.

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Photo courtesy of the artist in studio.

This piece is called “Colonial Dress” and is made of world maps, wire and glue.  This life sized dress was made in 2008.  The tiered, pleated skirt seems impossibly tall while the rosette on the hip adds style and flair.  This dress is quite clearly map of maps, even from a distance on the bodice.

These dresses may be fragile and perhaps, impractical but they are beautiful works of art and show off the benefits of upcycling.  A used map or coffee filter is completely worthless but when they are formed into these beautiful dress sculptures, their value increases astronomically.

Here are some links to my other “Artistic Recycling” articles to see what other creative and imaginative minds can make out of our garbage:

• http://greenupgrader.com/4028/artistic-recycling-amazing-uses-for-leftover-bottle-caps/
• http://www.quazen.com/Arts/Visual-Arts/Artistic-Recycling-3-Plastic-Bottles.274589
• http://www.quazen.com/Arts/Visual-Arts/Artistic-Recycling-Egg-Cartons.265553
• http://www.quazen.com/Arts/Visual-Arts/Artistic-Recycling-Tea-Bags.262599
• http://www.quazen.com/Arts/Artistic-Recycling–Metal.294011