Junkyard reinvented as an art form

Trash butterfly won the first prize of Dh5,000 in the Waste to Art competition.

DUBAI // A butterfly built out of junk and a statue of a seahorse made from old bottles show how discarded items can be given a new life with a little creativity. Plastic bottles and caps, tin cans, glass, old hangers, telephones and even a chef's apron were transformed into works of art and put on display at the First Group Theatre at Madinat Jumeirah. Organised by the hospitality group Jumeirah, the three-day Waste to Art event, which closed yesterday, featured 55 sculptures and art installations.

Items in the collection included statues of sea horses, Jumeirah hotels and even mosques. The display also featured mini houses, gardens, lamp shades, chairs, electric pots, clocks and fruit baskets. Archibald Pacana, a Burj al Arab employee, won Dh5,000 (US$1,360) with his Trash Butterfly made of metal, phone and cable wires, disposable tea spoons, tin cans, toothbrushes, razors and old place mats. Like the other participants, Mr Pacana had a month to work on his project.

The 42-year-old Filipino is an administrator at the hotel's technical services department; he previously had stints as a graphic designer and theatre helper. The butterfly, he said, is his favourite symbol, which he always uses for inspiration. UAE residents are among the largest producers of waste in the world. On average, each UAE resident is responsible for producing around 1.75kg of household waste per day - higher than the average for most European countries.

Germany, for example, produces 1.6kg of waste each day, and then reduces the amount going to landfill by 40 per cent through recycling schemes and projects that convert solid waste to energy. [e-mail]