Recycled Keyboards And Pill Bottles Create Breathtaking Installations

Reminiscent of the vibrant tupperware installations from Creator Choi Jeong Hwa, New York-based artist Jean Shin transforms the disposable into thought-provoking installations. From broken umbrellas to old records, Shin recycles and redesigns trash into sculptural treasures. Her works explore the relationship between abstraction and representation, tickling your brain and provoking critical commentary on the social environment at present—all our vices, neuroses and obsessions. Check out two of her works, Chemical Balance and TEXTile, below.

Chemical Balance

Descending from the ceiling and ascending from the floor, empty prescription bottles stacked and adhered on top of each other radiate in a euphoric, sleep-inducing glow. These mighty sculptures make a silent remark on the lucrative industry of pharmaceuticals, highlighting the modern tendency to diagnose, prescribe, and over-consume prescription drugs. And in the wake of New York City’s recent Adderall drought, the issue of our crippling dependency on prescription drugs seems all the more poignant.

TEXTile

Making play with words and on words, this installation really puts the “text” in “textile.” Thousands of recycled keyboard keys woven together spell out a dialogue with the artist on the very construction of the artwork. A documentation of its own creation, this sculpture is also an open-ended conversation. Using the first three rows of active keyboard keys, viewers can inscribe their own messages into this textile, becoming part of the artwork as the added messages are projected on the opposite side. Focusing attention on the pervasive use of virtual communication, like email and text messaging, this interactive sculpture simultaneously incorporates the very basic, tactile sensation inherent to the written language.