SLCC Earth Day 2021 aims to raise awareness and promote action around environmental issues affecting our local Salt Lake City community, the state of Utah, and the planet. Upcycling is “the act of taking something no longer in use and giving it a second life and new function. In doing so, the finished product often becomes more practical, valuable and beautiful than what it previously was.” The following artists use their creativity to showcase upcycling! 

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Gallery of All 2021 UpCycle Contest Entries

Chauncey Secrist

Untitled Work

This untitled work is composed of an old mirror, rocks with red paint on them that were taken from various construction sites, a deer skull that was found in the desert west of Ephraim, Utah, and a metal and plastic stand that was in a bin in my apartment. The assemblage explores our fraught relationship with the natural world through the intermingling of human-made and natural objects, and the tendency of humans to impose our will onto the natural way in destructive ways. These acts of destruction have a cumulative impact on the local and global ecology, as habitats are torn down, species die off, and the delicate composition of atmospheric gases is disrupted. The deer skull and stones are meant to cause reflection on these ideas, but the mirror allows the viewer to see themselves within that relationship, both as an active participant in the aforementioned destruction, and as a potential agent of positive change.

Holly Erickson

Stool

I used a thrifted sweater to cover the seat, and leftover foam to cover a piece of refuse wood. The legs of the stool are planks of a deconstructed wine barrel. This sturdy little seat lends a helping hand in so many ways, from being upcycled of materials like textiles that so frequently end up in the landfill, and leftovers of construction materials of the board – additionally screws are mismatched using up leftovers found in my tool box. The creative reuse reinvents a use for a broken wine barrel, and becomes a fashion forward swan that the most cultured interior designer would place in a warm, family friendly yet modern eclectic home.

Ariel Martin

Pillow

I am a graphic design and illustration student with a passion for fiber arts. My project was inspired by improv quilts like those made by the women of Gee’s Bend. I made this pillow out of old t-shirts I had amassed over the last couple decades. These shirts either no longer fit or were too worn to wear any longer. However, I wanted to keep the memories of the events, teams, and concerts that these shirts were associated with, while also decreasing my contributions to textile waste. One side of the pillow is made entirely out of a few of these shirts and the other is made from fabric scraps. Before piecing the t-shirt squares, I dyed the shirts with leftover indigo dye that I had used for another project. This gave the blocks a cohesive and repurposed look. By upcycling these shirts and scraps from storage into an eclectic, beautiful pillow I was able to create a meaningful piece for my home. I hope that this piece will inspire others to consider ways in which they can reuse old clothing or textiles to create practical and beautiful pieces for their home.