Johanna Keimeyer Puts Trash Bottles in a New Light
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07. 2.08
Recycle Light is Eco-Art, not Eco-Easy
Recycle Lights, the moniker of Berlin artist Johanna Keimeyer's newest collection, may make recycling simple for the elite clients and businesses that acquire pieces of Keimeyer's art. And perhaps many of us could easily see a certain beauty in bottle designs, if we stopped to think about it for a moment before trashing the empty containers. But bringing the beauty of out of discarded plastic containers, transforming garbage into resplendent glory, requires artistic talents and an elaborate process.
Keimeier's Recycle Lights have earned a place in the exhibition "Adventure with Objects" alongside pieces such as "the first curved wooden furniture from Thonet, the seats and furnishings of Jean Prouvé, Charles and Ray Eames and Alvar Aalto, the domestic architecture of Le Corbusier, the first examples of tubular steel chairs by Mies van der Rohe in the 1920s, and important pieces by contemporary designers such as Ron Arad or Fernando and Humberto Campana"”. "Adventure with Objects" is open until July 6, 2008 at the Pinacoteca Agnelli in Turin, Italy. Many more photos of Keimeyer's work are also displayed below.
Johanna Keimeyer with Chandeliers from her Recycle Lights collection
Keimeyer creates an homage to the unknown and unnamed designers who try to give plastic containers that bit of flair that makes consumers reach for their brand over another.
Keimeyer's Trashure from her Recycle Lights collection
According to the press release: "Johanna’s work was discovered during a Vitra Design Workshop led by Fernando and Humberto Campana (Brazil). It was there that Alexander von Vegesack, director of the Vitra Design Museum, asked her to create an exclusive light for his private collection. And Johanna Keimeyer created the chandelier Treasure 2. "
Our favorite is La Rouge Petillante, French for semi-sparkling red. Maybe it's just the name, or maybe its the red. Or the sparkling.
Keimeyer's Rajec-lampfrom her Recycle Lights collection
Johanna Keimeyer's trash collection treasure hunt took her across half of Europe, through Slovakia, Spain, France, England and Germany. With such resources, she creates lights for every mood, whether it be red....
Keimeyer's Selters-lamp from her Recycle Lights collection
...or blue.
Johanna's website, Keimeyer.com includes other examples of the work of this young and promising artist.
Other recycled light designs featured in TreeHugger:
Package Lights
Tea Cup Light Fixtures
Khrysalis Lamps Among Features at HauteGreen
Martín Corujo's lamps
Stoplight Pendant
TreeHugger How to Green for Lighting
How to Green Your Lighting
Via tipster MB who noticed Keimeyer's work in mocoloco
