There could be a masterpiece hiding in your rubbish bin

PROJECT designed to inspire people to see their waste and art in a new light.

Lismore City Council's Revolve Shop Manager Met Uritir and Advanced Diploma of Visual Art student, at Lismore TAFE, Naomi Mikkelsen. Picture: Contributed

IN A world drowning in waste it takes a special creative mind to see the beauty in all the trash we discard.

But this is exactly what artist and TAFE student Naomi Mikkelsen plans to do after taking up residence at the Revolve Shop.

Her goal is to prove that you can turn waste into art.

She is the first of a series of artists who are taking part in the Upcycle Artist in Residence Project at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre.

The project, in partnership between Lismore City Council and TAFE NSW, is designed to encourage the re-use of our valuable resources and stop them ending up in landfill.

Naomi is currently creating a body of work called Think Outside the Bin, a series of sculptures made from recycled and repurposed materials and cement.

"I just wanted to inspire people about what they can make out of recycled material and show them what art can be, that it doesn't necessarily have to be made out of bronze or marble, that it can be made out of recycled materials," she said.

"I am interested in how we can reuse our surplus of discarded resources, removing them from their intended functional context and transforming them into objects with a second life."

Lismore City Council's Environmental Strategies Officer Education Barbara Jensen said the council is committed to reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfill.

"We want to inspire people to repair, repurpose and upcycle their waste," she said. "The Upcycle Artist in Residence project will help spark conversations about the many ways we can do this, with the end result of less waste going into landfill."

TAFE NSW teacher David Hickson, who is overseeing the project, said it was an opportunity for student artists to work in a studio environment using different materials.

"It is a tradition in the arts to have artists-in-residences around the country to engage with the community. It's a good way to develop experience," he said.

"The artist works onsite and welcomes informal visitors to their studio during their working hours, talking about their work and the experience."

Naomi will be in residence at the Revolve Shop every Thursday for the next four weeks.

Applications to be the next artist-in-residence is open to all enrolled TAFE students.