replay

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS OFFERED!

2010-01-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Educational Workshops are available!

I have begun presenting workshops involving 100 images and examples of upcycling ideas - from my own artwork to swimming pools made out of dumpsters; from a Buddhist Monastery made from reclaimed bottles to full size sheep made of old rotary phones.

The image above is by OooMy Designs - these are old cassette tapes made into floor lamps and light boxes. Another stunning example of upcycling!

The main focus of the workshop is to show participants the amazing variety and diversity of upcycling and repurposing going on around the world in art and design.

Part of the workshop also involves helping participants make the connection between our "selves" and our "stuff." I encourage participants to see the connection between rescuing and transforming discarded or non-functioning things and linking this metaphorically with the 'tossed' parts of ourselves we sometimes give up on or have a hard time believing we can change... We all need to be given the vision, opportunity and skills to transform ourselves and our world in whatever way we can.

Workshop details:

Minimum time: One hour

Minimum fee: $150- per hour

Computer / large screen required onsite

If you are a teacher, educator, arts organization, or have any group who would be inspired by a workshop like this, please contact me anytime.:

BarbaraBernath@telus.net

Looking forward to hearing from you!

What is REPLAY?

2009-09-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

REPLAY's philosophy revolves around the idea that nature and her precious resources should be left undisturbed as much as possible. The modern world is teeming with other abundant resources (old products and related packaging/surplus) which can easily be re-invented and recycled back into our culture and economy.

REPLAY realizes that we are consumers - but more importantly - we are also creators. We also crave meaning and have a great desire to be tied to the deeper underpinnings and history of the objects in our world. With this said, we need to be given the inspiration and opportunity to interact with our product-driven society in a more renewable, creative, and hands-on way.

I will be posting my own creations as well as sharing interesting products and projects from around the world which are dedicated to the fine art of reinvention. It starts here with an installation by Jean-Luc Cornec who designed this wooly flock from recycled telephones and curly phone cables.... Do androids dream of recycled sheep? I think they do.

Welcome!

Up-cycling

2009-09-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

What is upcycling? Well, rather than throwing a broken object away, or recycling it down to its bare elements, upcycling elevates and reincarnates an object to a new, unexpected state.

Above is an kinetic sculpture I created using the broken body and mechanics of an old clock I found in a thrift store. It's an upcycled piece I call a "mys-tic-toc." I continue to make art that reflects my fascination with urban recycling and fuses it to the cosmic concept of reinvention; the eternal reinvention of everything; the reminder that nothing is new and everything will eventually become something else.

With this said, this kinetic sculpture above encourages the mind to let go of time and move into the realm of constant-change. This particular piece focuses on a little buddha going around and around... in real life when you watch it, it moves slowly and seamlessly around and around. It's highly meditative to watch the progression from tension to relief as he makes his journey from upright to upside down, from stability to instability, over and over again. It is reassuring. Whenever I need a reminder of this basic law of the universe I turn to my upcycled tic-tocs for guidance.

Below is a sculpture I made for all the women out there in their mid to late 30's - it's called - quite simply - "Biological Clock"... So hilarious.

And here is an 'erotic-toc'... and below that a 'romantic-toc'...

Although you can't see the movement here in these last few images above - the center image of each piece rotates completely around in 60 seconds.

Finding and sourcing materials for these sculptures is a big part of the fun. This is why I absolutely love thrift stores (and I mean real thrift stores -not 'consignment' shops). Real thrift stores are the true seashores of our consumerist ocean - the place where anything can wash up. Time or trend has no rule; a multitude of decades and designs exist simultaneously waiting to be introduced to each other and played with in a non-linear way. I just love that.

I Love Thrift Stores

2009-09-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

I love thrift stores. They are great for the imagination, excellent for the environment, and a huge benefit to the charities they support. What more could you ask for in a shopping experience?

Although I live in Vancouver and there are many great thrift stores here - like the YWCA SHOP - my favorite thrifting happens in New York at HOUSING WORKS . The picture at the top is the window of one of their uptown shops. Housing Works really embodies the deep spirit of what thrift stores are all about - community, giving, caring, charity, recycling, innovation and - unlike any other thrift store I know - they are all staggeringly BEAUTIFUL! Check them out if you are in NYC!

My love of thrift shopping started with my friend Heather when we were teenagers. We were quirky kids and enjoyed wearing weird and wonderful things. We were always on the lookout for hidden treasures - something the local mall could never quite provide us. When we discovered thrift stores, we were hooked.
In addition to the amazing omni-era clothes we found and re-worked, thrift stores turned us on to history and culture in a way nothing else quite could. How great that anything, from any time period, could show up in a thrift store! History begged us to play with it. There was no one dictating to us what was cool and no one was pushing us to buy what millions of other teens were acquiring across North America. We were free to be ourselves. It was a relief.

(The real deal - The ARK - Minnesota)

It was in thrift stores that I also discovered the psychological miracle of 'as is' items. One dash of courage and two dashes of ingenuity and - voila! - a strange, old thing could be transformed into something downright magical. I learned early on that purchasing an 'as is' item is really about trust and creativity. This is because when you commit to buying something that is broken or unfinished, you are looking beyond its current status and imagining its higher potential. This is a beautiful place to be with things in life and an experience you just don't get from engaging with things that are new and perfect...

To this day, most everything I own is second hand.

Booked Up!

2009-09-01T01:32:00.000-07:00

Public libraries are exciting and progressive places. They are also magnificient examples of sustainable consumerism. One book recycles hundreds, if not thousands, of times in its life at a library. Unlike the books that sit patiently on our shelves at home waiting to be re-read, library books (like the ones shown here by sculptor Richard Wentworth) have a rich and wild existence. So next time you are wondering what to do with the books you haven't read in a long time, donate them to the library. You will be giving them a long and adventurous life (hey - much like your own)!

As well as donating books, I also donate cd's, magazines, and dvd's to the library, I also regularly borrow all these same items. They have a mind-bogglingly-vast collection and it's a great feeling knowing I do not have to keep these items forever. In this land of way-too-much-stuff, it's a relief to know I can simply borrow something for a short time while I need it and then return it once I am done. I find this to be a much more fluid, sane, and abundant way of approaching the things I interact with on a daily basis.

The other progressive thing about our library here in Vancouver is its structure. In addition to its interesting design, it also has a green roof, which many people are not aware of.

Although the roof is not accessible to the public, it is visited frequently by wildlife and is a stunning example of natural habitats existing within the urban landscape.

If you haven't been to the llibrary lately, check it out! It's a wonderful way to spend the afternoon being completely inspired on many levels.

See you there!

Vertical Gardens and Green Graffiti

2009-09-01T01:00:00.001-07:00

Vertical Gardens were first created by Nature in South American Rainforests and then brought into the urban landscape by a brilliant botanist and artist - Patrick Blanc. This is a whole other level of upcycling: Take a dull urban wall, add specific cliff bearing foilage (which needs no additional water source) and suddenly you have an awe-inspiring, living, breathing force right there on the street. For more about Patrick, you can visit his own site and gallery which showcases the walls he has created all over the world. Spectacular.

Recent update! I just discovered we have our own version of a vertical garden here in Vancouver at the Whole Foods store on West 8th. Although it was NOT designed by Patrick Blanc, and it is not self-sustaining the way his gardens are, it is a beautiful, green alternative to the oh-so-grey walls we are usually confronted with here.

A slightly more devilish option to vertical gardens for all you beyond-Banksy fans is 'green graffiti'... If you like the idea of putting your words and images in public spaces, but can't stomach the paint fumes (or the thought of being busted) you can spray seeds and moss on to any wall... check out these two examples below. The first is by Anna Garforth and the second is by Edina Todoki.

There are many more samples of green graffiti here - and if you are feeling sneaky-green and want to create mischief in your own neighbourhood, check out the recipe (I just love the DIY state of the world these days). What are you waiting for? Come on! Those wild kids in our neighbourhoods (and in our selves) need inspiring alternatives.

Trash into Treasure (literally)

2009-09-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

San Francisco has always been way ahead of the curve. One of the most innovative projects initiated in the city is the Artist in Residence program at the dump. Yes, the dump.

This program was established in 1990 - right after a new state law came into place requiring all jurisdictions in California to divert at least 50% of their waste from landfills by the year 2000.

An amazing and innovative woman named Jo Hanson came up with a brilliant idea to celebrate this new law by developing an artist in residence program. She envisioned a studio and stipend for emerging and well-known artists to create artwork from the vast resources at the dump as a way of raising public awareness about both recycling and art.

Read more about this project on the AIR site.

Below is an image of one of the artists, Andrew Junge with the Styrofoam Hummer he created (among many other things) during his residency. Nice work Andy.

Shining Example

2009-08-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

I just made an upcycled lamp for my new home using an old Ikea light I found in a thrift store. I am calling this piece "Shining Example."

I took the front cover off of the light and then replaced it with a beautiful quote I found online by Joseph Campbell.

How did I do it? I sized the quote to fit the light; printed it out in a bold font; cut it out; and slid it under the plexiglas. I then put an amber bulb in, so the light is very warm and lush.

It's lovely to see Campbell's inspiring words shining through the glow of the lamp. It looks especially wonderful at night.

It says, "The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the Universe, to match your nature with Nature."

I couldn't agree more.

Concrete Ideas

2009-08-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Concrete Ideas are just that - ideas which have been created using actual cement.

The image above is of one of the many candle holders I made using concrete and an old bunt-cake mold as the underlying form. The ornate relief was created by pressing a vintage Italian-style decoration into the center. Just before the concrete solidified, I popped the decor out and then pressed in bits and pieces of old gems and stones into the surface (which I happen to still have from my last incarnation as a jeweler). Most of these candle holders I sold at home sales as well as The Museum Shop at The Vancouver Art Gallery.

Below is another image.

Now, here's another concrete idea for you to ponder...

Did you know that concrete accounts for more than 5 percent of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions annually? (Damn. There's always a down side to everything). But wait! Thankfully the planet is full of innovative thinkers and doers, so there are several new companies developing a ‘carbon-negative’ cement which actually absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits over its life cycle. If you think about how much concrete urbanites interact with on a daily basis, this is very exciting news. Scientific American reports that British start-up company Novacem is leading the way in this new concrete technology. If you want a quick overview, you can also check out this article at the Big Ideas at Berkeley site.

Reminder: Beautiful ideas are popping up everywhere.