We spotted this plastic bottle installation on Pinterest and immediately had to find out more. It’s such a creative use of plastic bottles and the combined effect is dramatically beautiful. Turns out this plastic bottle installation was created by Scottish artist David Batchelor. It’s called the Candela 7/450 (For the Death Star) and is seen hanging here in the Temperate Palm House at The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.
This plastic bottle installation, the Candela 7/450 (For the Death Star), was commissioned by Bloomberg LP for the 2006 Edinburgh Art Festival. The artist behind the piece is David Batchelor. Batchelor lives in London and specialises in creating sculptural objects with items found in the streets of London. His art is known for bringing colour and light to the forefront. For instance this plastic bottle installation shows the influence of colour in our everyday items. The Candela 7/450 (For the Death Star) uses 450 upcycled household bottles, each containing a low energy light bulb.
Beyond his plastic bottle installations, David Batchelor likes to combine everyday items with industrial materials. From broken household items to factory scrap, Batchelor repurposes leftovers of modern life into mesmerising installations. His artwork highlights the beauty and colour of once discarded trash. The artwork below, Brick Lane Remix I uses found light boxes, steel shelving units, plugboards, cables, acrylic sheets, vinyl and fluorescent lights.
We think his work is stunning and a brilliant example of upcycled art. The below work is called Festival Remix. The lights and colour in the garbage bin give a strong message. Batchelor says:
I’m interested in the things that populate our environments but are often overlooked, either because they are so ubiquitous or just plain functional.
His art definitely leaves us with something to think about. For us at Upcycle That it highlights the upcycling message that materials are still valuable even after their initial purpose has been fulfilled.
Source: David Batchelor
Awesome! These plastic bottles installations are amazing! We just need some creativity, and we can turn trash into treasures! Thanks for sharing this, upcycle that! I am hoping that we can let more people know about the fun of upcycling, and get them involved, so that we would have a better environment!