Shipshape, 2015 

From Waste to Art Museum, Baku, Azerbaijan

Shipshape, 2015
Installed a the From Waste to Art Museum, Baku, Azerbaijan
Donated CD and DVD discs, Monofilament, Cable ties, Cable, wood, and hardware
Dimensions: 8 feet H x 8 feet W x 12 feet L

I was invited to participate in the IV International Exhibition From Waste to Art, June 2015. This artist Residency and group exhibition at the From Waste to Art Museum was organized by Tamiz Shahar JSC, Baku, Azerbaijan.  This year, 23 artists from 17 different countries participated.

Tamiz Shahar is a state organization providing waste disposal services to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The objective of the company is to establish up to date and sustainable waste management system in Baku and bring the latest novelties in the waste management sphere to the country through sharing experience with foreign countries and international companies. This includes a number of activities to increase public awareness on waste problems and stimulate people to protect the environment through proper waste treatment. This annual art exhibition is one of the ways in which they are achieving this goal.

Shipshape - in good order, trim and neat
The shape of this installation was inspired by ships on the Caspian Sea in combination with the optimistic attitude inherent in and the never-ending work of resource reuse and recycling.  Titled Shipshape, this sculptural ship, whose hull is made of discarded digital memory in the CD's and DVDs, is both rising and sinking into the floor.  From the bow, the waste appears perpetual and unending; while from the stern, the ship becomes a viewfinder for looking beyond and through the waste.