The Bottle Cap
Many people have long understood the benefits of recycling. Over the past generation we have all become increasingly aware of its importance. We have evolved into a nation that cares about and encourages recycling and, more importantly, reuse. Reuse is a great practice because it does not generally require additional resources or expense unlike recycling which involves processes that break down used items into raw materials that can then be made into something else.
We all know that the primary purpose of a bottle cap is keeping beverage containers closed. Usually when a bottle cap is removed from a bottle, the person removing it barely looks at it and hardly ever regards it as anything important. When it has fulfilled its purpose, the bottle cap is considered useless and thrown in the garbage. But this does not have to be the ultimate fate of the bottle cap.
I began collecting bottle caps in spring of 2002 thinking that they would be an interesting material with which to make art. While collecting and sorting these bottle caps I began to notice interesting details. Some bottle caps are a solid color, absent any markings. More often, there are pictures and/or words printed on the outside and sometimes even on the inside. Usually it is the beverage brand’s name and logo or a drawing that represents the brand in a cute and clever way.
All of the bottle caps that I use in my art are recycled. Some of the bottle caps I have collected have come from people who decided to keep bottle caps for another purpose instead of throwing them away. While some people had considered the eventual reuse of their bottle caps, most had no specific reason to save them except for the vague idea that there could be a further life for them. There are people out there who recognize the potential value of bottle caps and see them as more then just garbage. Some, like me, even see them as art.
I would like people to view my bottle cap art and come away from it with an understanding of the potential for this tiny, throw away object and be inspired to, at the very least, think differently about the things they idly toss out. The possibilities of reuse are endless. People do not necessarily need to suddenly feel obligated to stop throwing things away and start making art or something else with them. For me, making art with recycled materials is about being more aware of what we, as a society, consider to be disposable and discovering ways to reuse the things we already have.
April 2009