Will James

Creating beautiful art from discarded materials

This project was inspired by my personal journey with dyslexia and its impact on my health and wellbeing. Discovering where I fit in this world provided me with a sense of connection and purpose.

I used the environment and nature as a catalyst to explore the relationships between litter discarded by the roadside and the feelings of being discarded in society. Additionally, I examined the discriminatory similarity between single-use items and how we can sometimes feel devalued as if we are disposable consumed products. By repurposing and recycling these discarded items in creative ways, I aimed to transform them into new beautiful, purposeful items that carried meaning and metaphor.

In a community setting, I conducted several workshops, centred around the 5 ways to wellbeing. Participants were provided with a variety of art materials that had been transformed from discarded litter through a process of melting and layering to become a usable art resource. Continuing with these materials, participants were invited to create a structure or art form using nature and the environment as inspiration. These works would then decorate and embellish a canvas structure that I had previously crafted with found items to reshape and highlight the final piece. This collaborative effort resulted in a community-engaged artwork that was exhibited within each establishment.

The final artworks were exhibited at; Ashcott playing field pavilion, Catcott primary school, Create @8 in Shepton-mallet.