The Art of Recycling

Everyday objects find new lives in an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Craft

Meghan Edwards -- Interior Design, 7/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

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Marcel Duchamp’s concept of the ready-made is alive and well in Portland, Oregon, where the Museum of Contemporary Craft is opening “Manuf®actured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects” on August 28.

Husband-wife curators Steven Skov Holt and Mara Holt Skov, industrial-design professor and art historian, respectively, at the California College of the Arts, have gathered pieces by 16 artists who use mass-produced objects.

The 40 works assembled push the boundaries between art, design, and craft, with an emphasis on sustainability. For example, Cat Chow’s dress Bonded is made entirely of one continuous zipper, while Livia Marin’s sculpture Ficciones de un Uso contains 2,200 tubes of lipstick. A catalog from Chronicle Books accompanies the exhibition.

Can’t make it to Portland? You can still sample a few of the works from your laptop or desktop. Just start the slide show by clicking the link above.