Introducing Second Nature an array of artist installations, some larger than life, each one telling stories of endangered animals through the use of recycled, reduced, reused, repurposed and renewed materials.
Burned-out spark plugs, recycled plastic bottles, cardboard boxes and wads of chewing gum. Through an unconventional new art exhibit, opening at the Philadelphia Zoo in April 2015, making everyday choices that help wildlife around the globe will be Second Nature. In Second Nature, artists from all over the world recycle, reuse and repurpose everyday materials into amazing works of animal-inspired sculpture. From a totemic 13-foot-tall blue gorilla sculpted entirely of recycled car parts to a 175-pound rhinoceros made of serving plates; from an evocative primate shadow-sculpture composed by casting a beam of light on a pile of discarded electronics to a menacing 8-foot-long alligator molded from (brace yourself) chewing gum, Second Nature will intrigue, delight and engage Zoo visitors in the small things we humans can do to make a world of difference for endangered animals and habitats. Each of the artistic installations in Second Nature will unleash the creative imaginations of 12 international artists to forge a connection between human behavior and animal endangerment through larger-than-life works of art. From two giant nine-foot-tall pink rabbits each weighing more than 250 pounds to a six-inch hummingbird made up of more than 40 machine parts, the art and artists of Second Nature will engage, amaze and inspire so that reducing, reusing and recycling become Second Nature to all of us. Saving Energy to Save Wildlife The pulp and paper manufacturing industry is among the world s largest users of energy, emitters of greenhouse gases and a significant source of water pollution and landfill waste. Simple changes in our everyday lives like reducing and recycling paper, help save energy and ultimately, save wildlife and precious habitat.
SCULPTURE(S): Blue gorilla MATERIALS: Recycled car steel SIZE: 13 tall; 900 lbs. Don Kennell Santa Fe, New Mexico An oversized gorilla made of recycled car doors connects recycling to the future of gorillas in the wild. This demonstration reminds visitors that saving energy by recycling is just one way to save gorillas and other animals whose ecosystems are affected by climate change. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Don Kennell works in a variety of formats but often employs up-cycled materials that make connections between the natural world, environment and human behavior. In the last two years Don has completed monumental projects for the Coachella Music and Art Festival in Indio, CA. Public commissions include sculptures for the cities of Santa Fe, NM; Longmont, CO; Bernalillo County, NM and Pinedale, WY as well as New Jersey Transit, Please Touch Museum and many others. In 2000, he was distinguished by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Millenium Artist. page 3
Cracking Art Group Milan, Italy SCULPTURE(S): Fuchsia rabbits (2); red snails (3); yellow bird (1); green frogs (8); orange meerkats (12); blue bears (8) MATERIALS: Recycled plastic SIZE: 2-9 tall; 22-260 lbs. Colorful and towering rabbits, meerkats, frogs, birds, snails and bears made from recycled plastic play hide-and-seek across the Zoo s grounds. Plastic is the largest contributor of waste in the world. The six international artists of the Cracking Arts Group have traveled the world to share their environmental commitment through this innovative use of recycled materials. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Cracking Art Group consists of Renzo Nucara, Carlo Rizzetti, Marco Veronese, Alex Angi, Kicco and William Sweetlove. Since the 1993 birth of Cracking Art Movement with Epocale exhibition in Milan, these six international artists underline their intention to change art history through both a strong social and environmental commitment through the revolutionary and innovative use of different plastic materials. page 4
SCULPTURE(S): Bloom, a tree sprouting flowers and butterflies MATERIALS: Repurposed car parts, kitchen tools, traffic signals, HVAC ducts, artificial turf and road plate SIZE: 35 tall; 9,000 lbs. FLUX Foundation San Francisco, California An outrageous arrangement of butterflies and flowers, made of recycled car hoods, kitchen tools, traffic signals, HVAC ducts, artificial turf and road plate, suggests that recycling benefits butterflies. This spectacle is intended to establish a connection between our actions, animals and shared environment. ABOUT THE ARTIST: FLUX s mission is to engage people in designing and building public art as a catalyst for education, collaboration and empowerment. FLUX is grounded in collaborative work, this is evident not only in their process, but in the interactive nature of their work. Since FLUX s inception in 2010, they have created 12 collaborative interactive installations and cultivated a community of over 200 volunteers. page 5
SCULPTURE(S): Gorilla to be built onsite at Philadelphia Zoo MATERIALS: Recycled cardboard SIZE: 9 tall; TBD Laurence Vallieres Montreal, Canada Gorillas in the wild are threatened due to loss of habitat from the harvesting of timber for paper products. This giant-sized gorilla made from cardboard boxes collected in here, in Philadelphia, will be built onsite at Philadelphia Zoo in April to inspire guests to use less paper and packaging. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Born in Québec city, Laurence Vallieres studied at Concordia University in visual arts before doing an exchange program in Los Angeles to further her knowledge in ceramics. After an artist residency in Russia, she began incorporating street art influence in her work and using cardboard to create large sculptures on the spot in many different parts of the world. In 2012, she organized a show called Transmute for Montreal s Winter Festival, which led to her first solo show at galerie d art Yves Laroche in Montreal. In the past year, Vallières has shown notably in the United States, France and Germany. page 6
SCULPTURE(S): 24 crayons carved into endangered species accompanied by 24 letter crayons MATERIALS: Repurposed Crayola crayons SIZE: 5.5 tall; 8.5 lbs. (per set of two including wooden base) Diem Chau Seattle, Washington Two packs of Crayola crayons skillfully carved into endangered animals and accompanying letters bring a new sense of wonder to an everyday object. Some of the unique species included are: Amur tiger, Sumatran orangutan, Western Lowland gorilla, Chinese alligator, Panamanian golden frog, Galapagos tortoise and many more! The carvings are folkloric, evoking totems and allegories and bringing a sense of wonder with their executed intricacy. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Diem Chau, a Vietnam native, combines common mediums and common means to create tiny worlds with a balance of cheerful colors and fragility. Her work has been featured in New York Times, Harpers Magazine, Fiberarts Magazine, Readymade Magazine and American Craft Magazine. She was the recipient of the 2008 Artist Trust Fellowship Award and has exhibited in New York, Milan, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles. page 7
SCULPTURE(S): Abstract overhead sculpture MATERIALS: Plastic bottles SIZE: 11 tall; 150-200 lbs. Aurora Robson New York, New York To be suspended in the airy atrium of the McNeil Avian Center, this abstract sculpture is made from over 4,000 plastic bottles. It took six months to build this sculpture and reuse the materials all of which were diverted from going into the trash. It would have taken nearly 1,000 years for the plastic bottles in the sculpture to decompose if they had ended up in the trash. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Aurora Robson is a multi-media artist known for her transformative work intercepting the waste stream. A subtle but determined environmental activist, Robson raises awareness about plastic pollution through art. She was born in Toronto and grew up in Hawaii. After living and working in NYC for 20+ years, she relocated to the Hudson Valley. She double majored in visual art/art history at Columbia University. Robson exhibits internationally, and has been featured in Art in America, Art & Antiques, Green Building + Design magazine and more. She is a recipient of the Pollock Krasner Grant and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in sculpture and the TED/Lincoln Re-Imagine Prize, and was named the 2014 Artplace America Environmental Artist in Residence. page 8
SCULPTURE(S): 10 small robot animals MATERIALS: Recycled machine parts SIZE: 6-10 tall; up to 3 lbs. Ann Smith Larson Providence, Rhode Island 10 delicate sculptures of owls, hummingbirds and goats bring used machine parts and broken electronics back to life. Each piece varies in complexity the smallest hummingbird is the product of 40 pieces and the largest owl is the product of nearly 150 pieces. Although the materials used in these mini masterpieces no longer work, Larson brings them back to life to show it s never too late to see things differently. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Ann Smith Larson s work has been featured in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and has been published as illustrations in magazines and brochures. Her clients include Chevron lubricants division, Cricket Magazine and Cicada Magazine. She has received both local and international recognition from Make Magazine, Wired Magazine, PBS Boston, DPI Magazine, Architectural Digest, GQ and The Discovery Channel. Ann s work is in the permanent collection at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and is currently on display at 13 Forrest Gallery in Arlington, MA and Paxton Gate in Portland, OR. page 9
SCULPTURE(S): Two polar bear cubs MATERIALS: Recycled spark plugs SIZE: Nearly 300 lbs. each James Corbett Queensland, Australia Scrapped auto parts avoid the landfill if this Queensland recycler-turned-sculptor gets his hands on them. Never bending the parts, this artist uses the existing shapes to create realistic forms, which tell meaningful stories. For Second Nature, Corbett is creating two young polar bears from over 5,000 used spark plugs that are immune to climate change, unlike their Arctic counterparts. The majority of materials used come from trash of auto workshops even the coating was preserved using solar energy. ABOUT THE ARTIST: A former owner of an auto recycling business, James Corbett made the decision to pursue art after he began to see shapes and sculptures in the parts surrounding him daily. He has had regular solo exhibitions in Sydney, England and California and has done commissions for people in Russia, India, England, Singapore, Europe, U.A.E. and the U.S. His work has been featured on television commercials in Asia and Africa. page 10
SCULPTURE(S): Shadow projection depicting Rodin s The Thinker contemplating a gorilla skull MATERIALS: Recycled electronic parts and light SIZE: 7 tall (light surrounding shadow); 220 lbs. (materials) Diet Wiegman Rotterdam, Netherlands This illuminating artist transforms a pile of discarded electronics into a stunning shadow - a man contemplating a gorilla skull, and the possible extinction of our fellow primates. Consisting of dozens of different recycled elements, the artist s sculptures are created by arranging piles of trash to depict a thought-provoking concept when touched by light. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Dutch artist Diet Wiegman is referred to as the art omnivore and started an art movement by the same name. Wiegman was represented by the renowned Gallery Delta in The Netherlands. As a result Wiegman s sculptures were displayed internationally at some of the most prominent galleries and art fairs. In 2008 Anagram was released, an award-winning documentary by director Mike Redman that highlights Wiegman s work and vision. In 2009 Wiegman was voted Most brilliant artist of The Netherlands. His career spans more than fifty years of making contemporary sculptures, paintings and shadow art. His art is owned by museums and private collections around the world. page 11
SCULPTURE(S): Full-sized crocodile MATERIALS: Chewing gum SIZE: 8 long; 200 lbs. Maurizio Savini Rome, Italy A jaw dropping 8-foot long crocodile made of chewing gum stretches the boundaries of repurposing. Chewing gum is a worldwide problem, costing businesses and taxpayers millions of dollars per year to clean up if not properly disposed. These sticky sculptures have been exhibited all over the world, including London, Edinburgh, Rome and Berlin, demonstrating a creative way to repurpose a material that cannot typically be recycled or composted. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Maurizio Savini was born in Rome, where he studied architecture at the University of Rome La Sapienza. He has had more than 100 group exhibitions and more than 50 solo exhibitions around the world, including London, Paris, Moscow, Madrid, New Delhi and more. Savini s body of work also includes stage settings for a number of theater productions and permanent installations. In 2004 and 2005, he won prizes for his work from La Cité internationale des Arts in Paris. page 12
SCULPTURE(S): Rhinocerous MATERIALS: Silver serving plates and dinnerware SIZE: 3.5 tall; 175 lbs. Leo Sewell Philadelphia, Pennsylvania This Philadelphia-based artist has created rhinoceros made from 250 silver plate serving trays and other dinnerware collected from curbs, junk sales and scrap piles. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Leo Sewell grew up near a dump. He has played with junk now for 50 years and has developed his own assembly technique. His works are collected by corporations, museums and individuals throughout the world. Leo continues to cull the refuse of Philadelphia out of which he fashions pieces of all sizes, from a life-size house cat to a 40-foot installation. His sculptures are composed of recognizable objects such as plastic, metal and wood. page 13
SCULPTURE(S): Photogrpahy exhibit in PECO Primate Reserve) MATERIALS: Photographs SIZE: N/A Gerry Ellis Portland, Oregon The work of Gerry Ellis, internationally-renowned nature and wildlife photographer, shows how the art of photography can help save a species. In this new exhibit in Philadelphia Zoo s PECO Primate Reserve, Ellis s photographs from the field showcase gorillas in the wild, offering a look at their reality in the face of habitat loss due to deforestation and climate change. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Gerry Ellis has worked professionally as a nature and wildlife photographer since 1982. Through his lens, Gerry shares the stories of lives and issues facing endangered species, indigenous cultures and threatened ecosystems across every continent. He has received numerous photography awards including those from the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, The New York Times, Ranger Rick, GEO, and elsewhere, and he has co-authored more than a dozen non-fiction and children s books. His current work, Great Ape Diaries, asks the question: Will great apes still survive in the wild by the end of this decade, the year 2020? page 14