Afterlife Goes Green

When artists apply their vision and creativity to cast-offs from our contemporary life, gardens of plastic bags bloom, creatures boast zippered eyes, and gum wrappers take flight.

At the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in San Jose, Calif., the current exhibit entitled Afterlife, which is funded in part by the Applied Materials Foundation, features works created to breathe new life into re-purposed materials and objects.

Artists transform items collected from the street, garbage dumpsters, junkyards and second-hand stores into creations that make us thoughtfully consider and often re-think how we use – and how we get rid of – everyday items like cardboard boxes, toothbrushes and old furniture.

Exciting things happen when art intersects with the greening of a community and “junk” is creatively repurposed in Afterlife rather than sent to a landfill.

Check out the exhibit and photos or, better yet, take time to see the exhibit in person at ICA. The exhibit showcases recycling at its best and closes on January 23, 2010.

Photo courtesy of Elisabeth Higgins O'Connor.