Recycled Birds by Jessica Beels

This series began in January 2017 as I was preparing a papier maché workshop for kindergarten teachers. They wanted to use recycled materials that their students could collect, if possible. So I made samples for the workshop from cardboard in my recycling bin, as well as postcards left over from past art shows. Trying to create a simple, repeatable form, I figured out a way to make birds whose characters are expressed through slight variations on a few basic shapes.

The armatures are made from cardboard (usually toilet paper rolls) and postcards or old photos. I use leftover wire from other workshops and projects to make the legs and feet. First I cover the body with newsprint (saved packing material from mail orders) to make a uniform, sealed surface. The final covering is also always a found material. Most often, I reuse or repurpose paper: newspaper, used wrapping papers and tissue paper, old music (one stash was deaccessioned from a music library), candy or cookie wrappers, empty sugar/sweetener packets, out-of-date catalogues or phone books, or discarded maps. Some other materials work as well, like rehydrated rose petals (often saved from special occasions) or hornet nest “paper.” Some of the birds are light-hearted and simply decorative; others can be more narrative or political.

I hope these birds remind you to be kind to the planet and to look for beauty in the ordinary.


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