waste

Search
Results

Photography

Photographer Stéphan Gladieu Documents the Congolese Street Children Turning Waste into Wonder

"So dramatic, so strong, so visual,” artist Stéphan Gladieu said of his first encounter with the revival of an ancestral folk art movement in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Kinshasa is the capital of Congo but also one of the many places American and European countries send their waste. Though doing so is illegal, wealthier nations still export tons of debris with the knowledge that these places do not have the resources to treat or recycle it. Instead, these discards sit, swell, and slowly drown everything around them.…

Read More

Art Design

Recycle and Renew: Future Materials Bank Archives Hundreds of Projects that Emphasize Sustainability

Fashion designer Stella McCartney's latest collection made headlines with a form-fitting jumpsuit composed of iridescent, scale-like sequins made entirely from plant-based compounds. Lauded for her longtime interest in sustainable fashion, the designer collaborated with Radiant Matter, a studio founded by Elissa Brunato dedicated to producing "naturally shimmering biomaterials." Engineered from renewable cellulose, the biodegradable material provides an environmentally conscious alternative to mass-produced plastics. It's…

Read More

Opportunities

November 2022 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

Every month, Colossal shares a selection of opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies. If you'd like to list an opportunity here, please get in touch at [email protected] You can also join our monthly Opportunities Newsletter. Open Calls Beam Center Open Call (International) Beam Center is requesting design proposals for ambitious public artworks that will be brought to life through collaborations with youth. Chosen artists will receive a $5,000 award and a $15,000 fabrication budget. Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on November 7, 2022. Passepartout Photo Prize (International) The Passepartout…

Read More

Art

Expressive Portraits Emerge from Pieces of Cardboard in Josh Gluckstein’s Wildlife Sculptures

Since childhood, London-based artist Josh Gluckstein has been fascinated by the incredible diversity of our planet's wildlife and inspired to make sculptures of animals from found materials. He often uses discarded or recycled materials like clothing from thrift shops or wood from old furniture, and an important aspect of his practice is concern for the environment. "I have travelled through Asia, Latin America, and East Africa, and have been fortunate enough to have some incredible wildlife encounters," he says. "However, on my travels, even in the most remote…

Read More

Art

In ‘Turn Off the Plastic Tap,’ Three Tons of Waste Pour From a Spigot Floating 30 Feet Above Ground

Last week, representatives from 175 nations formally agreed to curb plastic pollution in a momentous move. Plastic has become an increasingly urgent part of the climate crisis, and recent estimates approximate that the total amount of the material produced throughout history exceeds the combined weight of all animals on land and sea. Each year, we collectively generate 300 million tons more waste from single-use containers and similar products, a staggering number in comparison to the 9 percent we've recycled and a testament to the harsh reality that…

Read More

Photography

In ‘African Studies,’ Edward Burtynsky Photographs the Human Imprint on Sub-Saharan Landscapes

Renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky approaches his latest project with curiosity about the future of human impact and globalization. From the diamond mines of South Africa to the richly textured landscape of Namibia's Tsaus Mountains, African Studies spotlights the sub-Saharan region and its reserves of metals, salt, precious gemstones, and other ores. "I am surveying two very distinct aspects of the landscape," he says in a statement, "that of the earth as something intact, undisturbed yet implicitly vulnerable... and that of the…

Read More