Garbage made beautiful, art made sustainable
By Rebecca Gibian
Staff Writer
Shiny glass bottles and aluminum cans
reach towards the ceiling as color-coded bottle
caps form petals around the tower. Crows
hang from the ceiling and plastic bottles
stuffed with colorful trash line shelves on the
walls.
On Sept. 1, ^st Bryant Holsenbeck gave
a presentation in Hege Library Art Gallery
about the Gallery's new art installation
"Again and Never Again." Holsenbeck spent
two weeks creating the installation out of gar
bage and recycled material.
"Art's going to change the world, you
know that right?" Holsenbeck said. "It's going
to change it."
Holsenbeck began her presentation by stat
ing that Americans create more garbage per
capita than any other culture in the world.
Each citizen creates about 4.5 pounds of gar
bage per day.
"I always like to use quantities of things
because it shows that when you throw stuff
away, or even recycle things, it's still .out
there," said Holsenbeck in a phone interview.
The impact on students and faculty alike
was noticeable as they walked around the
installation, taking it all in.
"I've never thought about the plastic tabs
that are on bread bags," said senior Moe
Asad. "I always just throw them away. But she
turned them into something beautiful."
Holsenbeck did not build the installation
alone. Students were able to work with the
artist and, according to students, Holsenbeck
gave them a lot ofTfespOnsibility. Over a hun
dred students participated in the installation,
whether it was through EYE classes or of their
own initiative.
"I think iti s really great how (Holsenbeck)
let a lot of people work with her because
working with the material by hand really
drives the idea of how much we're wasting
home," said Madison Hetzel, a sophomore
who participated.
The inst^ation's beauty is not the only
astounding thing about it. The message it
establishes is just as powerful.
This year is Guilford's "Green and Beyond"
year of sustainability. The installation is a
positive step towards awareness of how much
plastic, glass, and garbage is out in the world
that can be reused.
"One of the things I love most about (the
installation) is that each bottle cap marks a
piece of food," said Kelsey McMillan '08,
curator pro tern for the art gallery. 'Thati s a lot
of food. And that's all her collection, not the
United States' or the state of North Carolina's,
and that shows so much waste."
The installation provided students and fac
ulty with an opportunity to think about ways
to become more sustainable at Guilford.
"I want to lower the lights in all residence
halls after quiet hours," said Asad, a resident
advisor in Milner Hall. "Ever since I've been
at Guilford, the lights have been running and
running and I can't catch them. And I don't
even think the light bulbs are high efficiency."
Other students believe that classes can be a
portal to a more sustainable world.
"The 'Sculpture in Nature' class is a crucial
dass because everything used is all sustain
able, all nonimpact," said sophomore Daniel
Saperstein. "I don't think that being sustain
ably consdousness and our academic lives
need to be separate."
Students were not the only ones to par-
tidpate. The projed provoked and engaged
faculty as well.
"We're all aware how much trash we cre
ate but this just brings it all home," said Bob
Williams, professor of economics. "Also, it
shows a certain beauty and that we can reuse
and recycle in a lot of artistic ways. Our col
lege is doing a lot, and we ought to be proud."
Holsenbeck is going a year without using
one-use plastic materials; a message which
she hopes will communicate to industries
that consumers will not buy non-sustainable
products.
She hopes that students will pay attention
to the little things, like putting recycling in the
correct bins.
"If you want to change something, say
something," said Holsenbeck. "People will
change if we tell them to. I challenge all of
you to try."
Bryant Holsenbeck, a Durham-based
artist, came to Guilford to create a large-scale
installation called “Apin and Never Apin” to
illuminate the waste stream of modern Western
society. Holsenbeck worked with students to
form her collection of recycled materials into
an intricate exhibition. The Hege Gallery will be
open to visitors through Oct I.
Photos by Claire Oosterhoudt