Alchemy of Waste collaborates with local artists, musicians, and activists to host events with workshops, screenings, live performances, visual and interactive art, and a marketplace – with a focus on upcycling as craft, concept, and inspiration.
FEATURED ARTISTS
Mickey Partlow: Mickey Partlow [Daze of Futures Passed] is an artist and musician. He spent his youth taking apart his toys, and now he is putting them back together as something else. Mickey’s work consists of collage, writing, hat making, building instruments by circuit bending electronic toys and music. He is inspired by his dreams and nightmares, as he tries to find a place in between, where he can learn from both.
James Allen (alias: J3M5): Known for an interdisciplinary studio practice of object making and sonic art. His approach consistently includes tape cassette, circuit bent devices, assemblage, appropriation, sculpture and live electronic music. The experimental sounds oscillate between breakcore, drum & bass, avant-garde and noise. His technical use of circuit bent sources combined with outboard processing employ the mixer as the primary instrument. Since receiving a BA at Art Center he has exhibited at LA Municipal Art Gallery, Cal State University LA and Venice Arts LA. Currently performing with Kchungs “Volume projects” and alongside his label partner O.C.D. His work has been featured by Ehsan Records with which he currently works along side.
Igor Amokian (aliases: Igor Amokian, Scared of Spiders): As a pillar of the experimental electronic music community, circuit bender Igor Amokian has a prolific output of releases and his own line of bent devices. His stylistic approach shifts between sonic art, heavily distorted beats and glitch. Seamlessly joining elements of dub, breakcore, hip-hop, 8-bit and avant-garde. His array of custom instruments are known for unique and unpredictable qualities; combined with an accumulation of machines from benders around the world. His visual work has been displayed in galleries for Sound Walk Long Beach and Sound Waves Heal Cancer (L.A.). When he’s not performing or building tracks he’s obsessively modifying electronics, managing a youtube channel and making DIY tapes and CD-Rs. His music has been released on Time Lapse, DigDugDIY, Bonding Tapes and No Skinny Jeans amongst many others.
Winston Rylee: Winston Rylee’s trade mark art-form consists of Pyrographic’s on salvage wooden panels with accents of colored gouache. Most of the subjects represented in his art are strongly influenced by the natural-world. Winston Rylee also creates home-made natural stains and finishes that he uses to complete his works. He creates these stains using rusty nails, coffee grounds, apple cider vinegar and other natural ingredients.
“Wooden art & furniture is not meant to be made by a machine. The beauty comes from the sculpting by human-hands. We as humans, relate to wood through the life-cycles and imperfections we share. When altering timber, the human eye needs to recognize the nuances within the wood. Taking timber and putting it through a CNC machine is taking the very essence out of why to use wood as your artist platform. I find great pleasure in making a functional piece of art out of something that was going to be thrown away. We live in a disposable nation, to revitalize is refreshing. ” – Winston Rylee
Patrick Quinn: I am a Mixed-Media Artist who creates sculpture, collage, and installation pieces. I am for the most part self-taught with no college degree to my name. I do this because it’s what I need to do. Creating art is my means of self-expression and a way to generate an emotional dialogue with an audience.
I often work with found objects and paper ephemera. Vintage photographs, old letters, and other items from the past. I seek to reach past the standard traditions of assemblage and collage. I am always looking for different media to use in my work. Over the past few years, I have incorporated metal, stained glass, and screen printing. Like a chef experimenting in the kitchen, I’m looking for the right mix of ingredients. If the mix is right, the work will be a personal experience for myself and for the viewer.
My goal is produce a body of work that will stimulate and challenge. If the viewer wandering through the gallery is compelled to stop and give serious consideration as to how they feel about the piece, then I’ve done my job.
Sweetie Boosh: Maddigan builds shabby armies of, weathered, hobbling, endearing, shedding, patched, propped up, and visceral maquettes. Small in scale but mighty in spirit, these figures surprise with their uncanny juxtapositions of beach trash, found wood scraps and all manner of detritus. Maddigan seeks out deals on misbegotten taxidermy via Craigslist and yard sales. Maddigan’s rescued and bedraggled animals go through an enchantment, and a redemption process. Encrusted and bedazzled with colored beads, sequins and pins these creatures now bear a blinged- out armor.
Crystal Perreira: I am a Pasadena based artist and my work primarily focuses on the use of found-object sculpture and abstract painting. I received my BFA from Biola University in 2013 and have exhibited in several galleries including the All Angels and NYCAMS gallery in New York. Additionally, I curated and directed the 2015 Pasadena Summer Salon.
Re-purposing objects that would otherwise be discarded is central to my artistic practice. Personally, the act of bringing beauty, and significance to objects that would normally be overlooked brings me great joy.
ALL IS FOUND (P.1) by Katie Partlow & Kamee Abrahamian
ALL IS FOUND (P.2) by Katie Partlow & Kamee Abrahamian
ON ANOTHER NOTE by Keiba Clubb
CUBA’S DIY INVENTIONS FROM OVER 30 YEARS OF ISOLATION by Motherboard (Vice)
SHE TURNS TRASH INTO ART, BUT ITS MORE THAN THAT by AJ +
VOYAGE OF THE MOBRO 4000 by The New York Times
15-YR OLD KELVIN DOE WOWS M.I.T. by THNKR
THE LANDFILL HARMONIC by Graham Townsley & Brad Allgood
LOST & FOUND by Joey Bania
THE STORY OF STUFF by Annie Leonard
WORKSHOPS
Sunshine Partnerships SEED BOMB workshop: Seed Bombs are designed to enable seeds to be sown in a hard to reach place and in locations where the gardner is unable to spend long preparing the soil for conventional sowing. Sunshine will provide supplies and instruction for attendees to make up to 5 seed bombs. Concluding the workshop, we’ll take to the surrounding area to plant seed bombs or attendees can take away to plant in other areas. No gardening experience necessary. Open to all ages. Will be using all natural supplies of clay, dirt and seeds. Don’t expect to get too dirty, but feel free to embrace Mother Earth.
Illuminated Paper Circuits: Build a simple circuit incorporating LED’s on a paper or vellum substrate. Course encourages using simplistic means to add a low power light system to an art piece, drawing, card, or folded form.
INTERESTED IN MORE ADVANCED CIRCUITRY? Ask us about our “Circuit Bend Basics” workshop: a hands on exploration of a battery powered toy. The process involves creating an output jack with volume adjustment as well as a pitch dial. Basic soldering skills recommended.