In honor of international Earth Day, which was on April 22nd, we’ll be devoting a series of posts this week to Israeli ventures and businesses that make our consumption a little greener by reinventing used materials.
If we don’t reuse our resources we may lose them altogether, so these green heroes definitely deserve our attention and support.
If you see something you don’t like in the newspaper today – have no fear. They say that today’s newspaper will be used to line bird cages and wrap fish tomorrow. Or will it? Israel’s many papier mache artists prove otherwise.
Papier mache, in and of itself, is a creative form of reusing. Two-dimensional, ugly newsprint paper is torn up and transformed into an entirely new and unique three-dimensional form.
Galit, who has a papier mache studio in Northern Israel, enjoys this medium not only because of its ecological value but also because of the time that it takes to create a papier mache sculpture.
She creates works of all sizes, ranging from relatively small sculptures to furniture.
Sigal Yaron, another papier mache artist, offers a wide range of workshops for both children and adults.
Located near Pardes Hana, Sigal’s studio is open to anyone interested in learning about the potential to be found in our daily newspapers. Sigal’s workshops instruct how to make sculptures, lamps, furniture, and other daily objects out of paper.
So the next time you’re about to recycle that pile of newspapers, think again. There may be a fire-breathing dragon, or a couch, or a floor lamp hiding in between those lines.
See also:: Reuse It or Lose It: Read It Again, Sam, Reuse It or Lose It: Oh Baby, Reuse It or Lose It: Logging On to Online Re(use)sources, Reuse It or Lose It: Puppets with Something to Say
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Oh papier mache! been a long time. Wouldn’t be wonderful if children nowadays would spend some being creative instead of in front of a tv set. Will give it some thought.