For time immemorial, human beings have generated trash … lots and lots of trash. And from the aqueducts and municipal dumps of ancient times to the massive landfills of today, we’ve tried all kinds of ways to get rid of it. However, when trash makes its way into the right hands, it can be turned from mere waste into something imaginative and daring. Creative folks around the world have seen old materials as more than just their previous lives, looking instead to their futures.
These works show the truth of that age-old statement: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” With materials ranging from old cars to scrap metal to glass bottles and discarded beach chairs, artists have gone above and beyond to reimagine how waste is thought about and used. Some projects, like a giant whale made out of polyethylene in New Mexico, are direct calls to action to reduce our footprint on the Earth. Others, such as a homestead full of sculptures built from ship parts, were simply designed on a whim by their creators. All of them showcase the innate power of outsider art to surprise and inspire us.
Also called upcycled or eco-art, this practice involves turning everyday waste like plastic, glass, metal, textiles, and paper into creative works. Materials that would normally end up in landfills are, instead, transformed into imaginative forms that compel us to rethink our ideas of worth and beauty.
1. Tire Sculptures of Breighner’s Tire Center 📍 Littlestown, Pennsylvania
When Noah Russell, an employee at Breighner’s Tire Center, was challenged by his boss to build a tire float for a local parade, he created a massive lion that won first place. Riding this high, he entered the following year with an eight-foot-tall, fire-breathing dragon made out of coat hangers, turf tires, and a can of bucane.(Unsurprisingly, he won again.)
Russell followed these creations with an intricate headless horseman, a horned stag, and a reef with several aquatic animals. Along with the two prize-winning creatures, these spectacles now sit in front of Breighner’s storefront, where they’ve become a favorite landmark for people traveling along Hanover Pike.
2. Frontera Sculpture Oasis 📍 Luna County, New Mexico
This unique sculpture garden sits in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert, right on the U.S./Mexico border. Artist Taras Mychalewych created the work as a tribute to Mother Earth after his car blew up in the very same desert while he was on a cross-country drive.
