After creating my sculpture out of trash for the third project I decided to research some recycled art. I found some amazing shadow sculptures created by Tim Noble and Sue Webster. The Shadow Sculptures use many materials including household garbage, scrap metal, and taxidermy animals. By shining a light onto the piles of rubbish they are transformed into something identifiable and even self portraits. The two artists seek to redefine how people view abstract images and define them with meaning.
The work titled, Dirty White Trash (with Gulls), is a work made up of garbage and taxidermy animals to create the image of the artists. The shadow of the work is meant to show the artists relaxing after they have created it. The artists felt it necessary to put themselves into the work so the viewer could understand their artistic practice. The pile of rubbish in the work is very abstract but when light is shone on it, it is made into recognizable figures. The work is symmetrical and has an overall balance to it. The contrast between the rubbish and shadow is also very visually appealing and makes it very unique.
I was also able to find an interview with the two artists where they describe a little bit about their art at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_zre1ddXPA. In the interview I found their inspiration for some of the work to be really interesting. For example, the two talk about one of their pieces, Falling Apart, and why they created it. After the artists had a huge fight they broke many things in their house and used it to create a piece of art. I think it’s amazing that the artists were able to take something so negative and use it as inspiration and make it into a beautiful artwork that tells about their life. I really appreciate the two artist’s honesty and ability to draw inspiration from everything in their life. I’m very happy I researched these artists and saw a very unique type of artwork that is recycled.