April 3rd, 2008 · No Comments

By John DeFore

The blogosphere overflows with examples of artists who use recycled or reclaimed materials in ways ranging from the whimsical to the architectural. Even given that diversity, though, an effort that came to light last week is something special.

The street-art fans known as the Wooster Collective posted the images above at their site on Wednesday, explaining that what readers were seeing was an inflatable sculpture made from discarded plastic bags — the bags had been painstakingly connected in the shape of a polar bear, then attached to a subway grate in such a way that, whenever a train passed below, the rushing air would inflate them.

The bear was eco-conscious on multiple levels: It’s made from trash, it harnesses wasted energy for its own purposes, and the way it works makes passersby more conscious of their surroundings — pedestrians might tend to ignore the wadded plastic when it’s deflated, but are forced to confront it when it springs to life.

Plus, it’s adorable.

Happily, Wooster got more information over the weekend. The bear’s builder, they report, is named Joshua Allen Harris, and this animal isn’t his only creation: He sent the web site this video to show the bear in action, and followed up with another in which a whole menagerie of plastic creatures entertain the citizens of New York. Both clips are now big hits on YouTube, which with any luck will encourage the artist to share more information with the world outside Manhattan.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media