The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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One person’s trash, another’s art

One+persons+trash%2C+anothers+art

Animal sculptures made from discarded bottle caps and straws, a 20-foot waterfall created from 13,000 empty water bottles, it is through these sculptures one artist hopes to change the way society thinks about waste and the environment.

Through March 13, Bucks is hosting an artist residency project, featuring Bryant Holsenbeck’s “Paradise: Lost and Recycled” in the Hicks Art Center Gallery at the Newtown campus.

Holsenbeck, an environmental artist and activist, has used her values to build her unique and beautiful artistry throughout the years. Her art emphasizes the constant wasteful and unsustainable habits in American society and culture, as well as the impact they have on the natural world.

Holsenbeck has spent years documenting waste in America. In 2010, she dedicated a year to live “single-use-plastic free.” If something she needed was packaged or processed, she found a way around using it.

Holsenbeck described how difficult it was, but that she was determined to stand by her values. During this journey, she created a blog to document her experiences during that year which she stills writes in today – The Last Straw: A Continued Quest for Life Without Disposable Plastic.

Her residency at Bucks features multiple animal sculptures made solely from recycled material, as well as the main attraction, a 20-foot waterfall built only from water bottles, which were collected from the school.

Holsenbeck admitted that Bucks collected the most bottles she’s ever seen. Over the past three months, Bucks placed water bottle collection bins throughout all three campuses. She requested 10,000 bottles and ended up with double that number.

In one week, Holsenbeck, along with a group of 400 volunteers from the school and Bucks County community assembled the waterfall. “It takes a village,” is how she described the rigorous process, time and work her projects demand, especially the waterfall.

Many of her animal sculptures were made from beach plastic washed up on shore, in addition to other mixed media. Although ironic, it they serve as reminders to think sustainably.

Holsenbeck managed to transform objects like bottle caps, straws, credit cards, beach plastic, chopsticks and lids into simple and beautiful art that sends a message to all of its viewers. It should also be noted there is no adhesive or glue used in the process of her creations.

Holsenbeck’s work is eye-opening to the tragedy of waste Americans acquire every day. The amount of water bottles collected goes to show just how much plastic we all use each day. Using a reusable water bottle instead of multiple single-use ones a week can make a significant impact.

The exhibit is free and open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. For more information, please call 215-968-8425.