Untitled (Upcycled Tree of Life)

Unknown Artist

Untitled (Upcycled Tree of Life)

Ca. 1980's

Sculpture

The unknown artist traveled from Michigan and created this piece sometime in the 1980's. Placing the Tree of Life in the center of the art building garden gives it a more contemporary or utopian feel. It's easy to imagine this sprouting metal sculpture in harmony with the other pieces in the tranquil vicinity, alluding to the garden of Eden. Visually, we see references to kinetic art and west coast minimalism as the breeze flusters the repurposed bicycle wheel branches and lamp looking leaves. The "upcycling" movement, also known as "creative reuse", is strategically referenced as the artist transforms waste materials such as bicycle wheels, metal cupped spools, and electrical pipes into products of better environmental value - unifying art and nature by using remnants of human life.

Upcycled Tree of Life is made out of repurposed industrial materials. The branches kinetically spin around when encountered with the wind essentially made to interact with its environment. This tree is made out of upcycled materials: electrical piping curves at the trunk of the sculpture. Roots from the ground stem into branches with twisting bicycle wheels and metal cupped spools sprouting at the end of the branches.

Joel Medrano, Alejandro Carrion, In Ah Ko, Chaeyeon Lim, Giselle Rocha, Eros Surya

Art in motion falls under the umbrella of "kinetic art". Most pieces that were made during this movement tend to be three dimensional sculptures that move naturally in their environment - with the wind - but can also be worked by way of machines or sometimes controlled by the viewer. By utilizing natural or artificial motion and breaking the static customs of traditional art, kinetic artists introduced a new relationship between art and technology that was inspired by the "dada" movement.

This Upcycled Tree of Life: Kinetic Sculpture with Wind Spinning Branches is a three dimensional kinetic sculpture which moves as a result of blowing air currents. Essentially made to interact with its surroundings, this work seems influenced by other artists in the kinetic movement such as Alexander Calder - leading figure in kinetic art - and his Arc of Petals. In Arc of Petals, Calder used mathematical methods to calculate exact weights and distances for each individual petal to ensure that balance was present. Calder created and changed his "formulas" in order to prevent replicas and make sure the piece remained one of a kind. The two types of mobiles that Calder’s created are now referred to as art-object mobiles and suspended mobiles - the principles of equilibrium. Calder is especially important in this movement, as he was able to combine these mobiles in a wide range of shapes and sizes, defining the aesthetic style of kinetic art.

Upcycling is the term used to describe the conversion of waste materials into a better quality product with higher environmental value. This process promotes less burning of waste and advocates for a more eco-friendly design of our discarded products. Typically, methods of re-materialization often require too much energy and surpass the limits of the carbon dioxide generation. Not to mention how the quality of reused subsidiary materials isn't always ensured without an upgraded or modified level of recycling. The principle of up-cycling is a perfect alternative as it goes beyond the recycled material - considering the aesthetic sensibility and capabilities that can increase the value of a reborn product - allowing this concept to relate to art and design.

Marcel Duchamp was one of the founders of the upcycling movement. Duchamp is referenced for his "ready mades" - sculptures made from mass produced objects - similar to the bicycle wheels in the Upcycled Tree of Life. By reclaiming these objects and questioning their meaning, Duchamps ideas touched on the beginnings of the modern and avant-garde as he advocated for new identities in art. Duchamp had an important influence on the Western art school that started prior to World War II and represented both the Dada and surrealist movements. The Upcycled Tree of Life piece is a modernist model that seems to connect with similar artworks in this movement by virtue of its aesthetic ideology and morphology - functionality as art.

Another pioneer of the Upcycling movement was Robert Rauschenberg. Rauschenberg found inspiration in the junk yard next to his studio in New York City saying, "I have sympathy for abandoned objects, so I always try to rescue them as much as I can.” Rauschenberg used non-traditional materials and objects to create innovative combinations - "combines" - that were heavily influenced by junk materials and repurposed for better artistic value, developing his unique artistic style. Similar to the repurposed bicycle wheels and electric piping in Upcycled Tree of Life, Rauschenberg created multimedia sculptures - "assemblages" - from existing industrial objects, giving these used materials new life with artistic value. The somewhat abstract expressionist style in Upcycled Tree of Life links back to the sculptural time that symbolizes life. When there is wind, the work will ebb with it, reminding the viewer of the harmony between life and nature.

It's hard to imagine that the artist who made this Upcycled Tree of Life wasn't inspired by other upcycled monuments or minimalist styles on the West Coast, such as the Watts Towers by Simon Rodia or the vacuum-formed plastic and metal sculptures of Robert Irwin. The Watts Towers and Rodia’s skill were extremely impressive because there was almost zero pre-planning and no scaffolding - the structure itself was the first and final result. Rodia spent 33 years, 1921 to 1954, building the 17 interconnected towers with only junk materials (broken pottery, soda bottles, seashells) that he collected on his own. This may have been a pre-cursor to the 1960's west coast minimalism, known as the movement of the "LA Look". The distinct aesthetic is characterized by clean lines, simple shapes, reflective or translucent surfaces, and sometimes the use of bright, seductive colors. Robert Irwin, borrowing from other industries and working through industrial processes to create sculptural objects, is a prime example of this minimal sub-genre. The Upcycled Tree of Life basks in an outdoor setting amongst natural light while abstractly combining its metal form with simple, repurposed materials adding an undeniably beautiful reminder of upcycling, kinetic, and west coast minimalism aesthetics to our campus here at SMC.