gorgeous trash - superb waste - splendid junk - magnificent rubbish

I have no idea what the best translation is, but it more or less covers the - dutch - title of this brandnew book released the day before yesterday.

SCHITTERENDE ROTZOOI       UPCYCLE!
by Jan Van Craesbeeck (grafic designer and passionate recycling artist) and Lil Meert (photographer)

The first time I saw Jan Van Craesbeeck's delightful junk sculptures was quite some years ago during the first Kunstroute-Leuven, a local art tour.  I didn't take pictures back then, my digital camera came much later.
During the opening of the Upcycling Festival at CREAZI (mentionned in previous post) we had the opportunity to see most of the artist's work again.  The conditions to make decent photos were not so good, here's a tiny selection of Jan's exquisite little creatures.

The Upcycling Festival at CREAZI was the perfect moment to launch his book.  It shows, apart from many artworks by the author and artist himself, various other artists from all over the world working with discarded materials.  Encounters with unique personalities, art brut artists in the original sense of the word (by Dubuffet), designers of one of a kind interiors and furniture.  All with one thing in common : the use of waste, junk, trash, rubbish...

To my astonishement I find myself pictured in the book...

There was this photoshoot so many months ago but nothing was heard from it since so I thought the whole thing was blown off or this project didn't fit in the book.  Well there it is, the beautiful Arbus Reïnc, the tree built with reclaimed timber from the roof of our renovated barn. 

The tree that needs to guard our fallen appletree hit by a storm almost two years ago now but still alive.  And although the tree was my idea and concept, built with our material and built in our orchard I never could have built it without the help of Clemens Maassen.  He is the architect of Arbus Reïnc, technique and design are his contributions.

I'm enjoying the sunday afternoon reading inspiring stories about people with a passion: turning unwanted objects into treasures.

SCHITTERENDE ROTZOOI

Jan Van Craesbeeck

Lil Meert

Uitgeverij De Draak

www.vizoog.com

related posts

Jan Van Craesbeeck at Tempus Arti

the building of Arbus Reïnc

CREAZI - Upcycling Festival

CREAZI - a taste of waste
rethinking recycling

Its been a very long winter in so many ways and I'm just trying to wake up from a deep state of hibernation. Many things and events kept me away from art, design and kitsch hence the silence on the blog.
One of our first happenings this year brings us to Hasselt in the Euregion, the opening of the Upcycling Festival at CREAZI.

CREAZI has a great concept.  Becoming a member as an artist means getting access to various free materials donated by volunteers and companies with overstock.  Materials are very diverse and may only be used in artwork and unique design pieces.  CREAZI is also linked to the local Kringwinkel (thriftshop) so material includes a great variety of worndown ecclectic pieces of junk and other stuff.

The festival started with an exhibition by artists using this free material.  I particularely liked this wooden assemblage from crates, I've used these slats to make furniture myself some time in the past.

Henry BAUMANN

UPCYCLING FESTIVAL

19-28 april 2013

Hasselt - Belgium

www.creazi.be

www.upcyclingfestival.org   view the agenda of different workshops and more

creazi on facebook

On the opening night there was a presentation of a book on upcycling... a book with a surprise I didn't expect. More on that in the next post...

related posts

Upcycle Festival  (click title)

DENMARK - the artist

No, not talking about Denmark the country in northern Europe...

DENMARK - V.9.72 - 1972

DENMARK - Data - 1975

Denmark - Fake Library - 1981-1983

DENMARK - the best magazines of art to be collected - 1989

DENMARK - Attrape-Mouches - 2000-2004

DENMARK - Absolut Library - 2010

DENMARK - Parrots - 2006-2012

DENMARK - Horizontaal versneden veilingcatalogi hedendaagse kunst - 2010-2012

DENMARK - Artforum - 2010-2011

DENMARK is a Belgian artist whose real name is Marc Robbroeckx.
I do love his work.  First saw it many years ago in Antwerp at a time I didn't make pictures so I don't have anything to show from back then.  Such a pity, it was a great soloshow.
Now we just got the last day of his show at Museum M in Leuven, Belgium... only six works exhibited here.

It inspired me, so off I went to buy a sharp scalpel... dissecting old magazines... wondering what will 'pop out'.


DENMARK  (click to enter artist's site)
Museum M - Leuven, Belgium

Weekend Lubbeekse Kunstenaars

Biennial of local artists in various disciplines

24-25 november 2012   11.00 - 18.00
free entrance

Infrax - grote zaal
Dieststesteenweg 126
3210 Linden, Belgium

setting up a few of my recent chainsaw sculptures in reclaimed wooden beams

laB - modern restoration in Istanbul

On my stroll through the Tophane area I came across a tiny shop. 
My absolute favourite: laB - laBoratuvar

If I lived in Istanbul, this is where I would buy my furniture...

It's only three months ago that this young architect/designer couple, Ceren BASGOZE & Fatih BASGOZE, have settled in the neighbourhood.  A bit of a gamble as Fatih says, re-Use in modern living is quite new and unknown in Turkey.

I simply love the way they use antique furniture and add a modern feature to it

my favourite piece in the shop

the shop is a bit tiny to actually make decent pictures of the items so I was given permission to take a few pictures from their website (something I normally never do)

check the website to view more original designs

labtasarim.com
Lab creates modern architecture and interior designs by combining design dynamics whit its own view of the world.

Adress: Firuzaga mah. Bogazkesen cad.
No: 72/a
Tophane / Beyoğlu
İstanbul

Arbus Reïnc - land art in the orchard

result of a storm + fallen apple tree + reclaimed timber from renovated roofs + art event...

start...

... my husband dug a perfect cross on the spot where our old apple tree used to stand upright, he deserves a medal for that tedious job...

... starting to build up the roots and centre of trunk ...

... the part that will turn into the tree trunk...

... first branches are 'growing' and roots are being covered

... at the end of day one we're quite happy with the job so far...

... and the 'gods' approve of what we're doing and send our their blessings...

... on the second day branches grow thicker and taller and provide lodgings for local birds, I even spotted bees around the nests ...

... a chair is added to look over the hedge and over the fields until the next village in the distance or simply enjoy the fact of being 'detached' from the world below ...

... a niche is incorporated into the trunk...

... adding the bark to the trunk...

... getting its shape...

... adding the last bits and pieces...

... meet the (tired) builders and the end of the last building day

Clemens Maassen (design & technique) - hildA de schutter (me) (idea & concept)

... the next days I get up at night to finish other works for the art tour and I get this special bonus : gorgeous sunrises sitting on the chair in Arbus Reïnc...

...

... the first day of the art tour the last detail is added...

... our first extremely enthousiastic visitor climbs into the tree...

... over three days 1500 visitors enjoyed our piece of land art...

... rain or shine, still very popular...

... to sign the guestbook one had to climb into the tree...

... now three weeks later

a sunday during summer... peaceful?  not quite...

not exactly our 'thing' this car race but we must admit that Arbus Reinc gives us a whole different perspective on the subject.

related posts

preparations

Kunst op het Hof

the barn - before and after

Clemens Maassen - art & design