2008 Woodie Awards
Artists get wings to create sculptures for exhibition
by Jessica Eisenbrey
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Mosaic
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The Art of Can exhibit, which runs until Nov. 2 at the F.U.E.L. gallery, features sculptures and other works of art made from recycled Red Bull cans. The entries are judged and the winning artists are awarded once-in-a-lifetime trips.
Nyla Hassell, media contact for the exhibit, states in an e-mail message the creativity of the art work is remarkable considering the medium.
"The amazing thing is that everyone has access to common materials," Hassell says, "yet they turn them into extraordinary artwork that captivates thousands."
She says this is the third exhibition Red Bull has held in the United States and the first one held in Philadelphia.
Since 1997 there have also been dozens of Art of Can exhibitions held around the world, from Switzerland to South Africa, Hassell says.
She says reusing trash materials to create something unique is one of the most important aspects of the Art of Can exhibition.
"The contest encourages people to turn their used aluminum cans and other found materials into artful masterpieces," Hassell says. "Now, that's got to be better than just adding it to the landfill."
She says 265 people from 25 states and 14 countries, including Ecuador, Egypt, Russia, Pakistan, Canada, Spain, Turkey and Italy, submitted entries for the contest.
From those submissions, 50 final pieces were chosen by a panel of four judges to be shown at the exhibition, and on Friday the top three finalists were chosen, she says.
Taking top prize was a mechanical sculpture of two rats titled "Fueling the Rat Race" by Alexandra Money. Second place was awarded to "F.D.Buzz.R" by Dale Busta, a replica of a beehive, complete with several hanging bees and a queen bee with an aluminum tiara. Third place went to "Flying Bull" by Linda Smyth, a sculpture of a silver and blue goddess made with strips of cans.
Busta says his inspiration came from a comparison he made between honeybees and Red Bull.
"I used the hive to symbolize the sweetness of the Red Bull," Busta says. "Kind of like the honey of a bee."
He says he used approximately 500 cans for his creation and spent at least three months and several hundred hours working on the sculpture.
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