Upcycling Textbooks

Progress needs you to kick it in the butt with an upcycled textbook. Use your creativity to inspire a textbook-free world with better learning tools.

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Model rocket made almost entirely from textbooks blasts off... in slow... motion. 

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Law, Literature and Accounting textbook pages transformed into “Star Urchins” by Etsy artist, KissaDesign. “Star Urchins are my modern interpretation of a Polish folk art decoration, a style of ornament making that dates back beyond a hundred years. I make each Star Urchin completely by hand, and each of mine has 80 hand-formed points. My family has been making them for over half a century. They look delicate and celestial, take patience and a little while to make.” –KissaDesign

How can you use creativity to inspire change?

[natalka01]

My #Ukrainian family also made these when i was a girl.

[upcyclingtextbooks]

That’s interesting to hear @natalka01  We’d never seen anything like this before and, naturally, we love how she made them from old textbook pages!

[upcyclingtextbooks]

I think I...

[upcyclingtextbooks]

149 Ripples: primordial soup

New York artist, Chris Perry, asked for a set of 8-12 textbooks with strong colors. We sent him eight brightly-colored Microbiology textbooks. The result (and his meticulous process) blew us away. The making of 149 Ripples: primordial soup... http://upcyclingtextbooks.org/?p=794

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Pinhole Camera Textbook

While some people draw pictures in their textbooks, Erin Paysse can take pictures with her pinhole camera textbook.

[upcyclingtextbooks]

What are these textbooks trying to tell us? 

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Welcome To The Pumpkin Patch

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Textbook-O-Lantern  (Pinata Style)

Happy Halloween!

[upcyclingtextbooks]

What’s your scariest textbook? 

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Live Breathe Art

I’m immediately stuck by the shapes… and colors. This psychology textbook has been cleverly upcycled into… the top view of a human brain. I’m staring down on two hemispheres of a brain. The purple hues give the piece a very relaxed feel. The pinkish light makes me wonder if there’s some activity in the visual cortex? And suddenly… it an ornate butterfly, resting. Or is it some sort of Rorschach Inkblot Test? I wonder what all this says about me.

When I introduce myself to the artist, Bronia Sawyer, she tells me the piece is titled Live Breathe Art and that her intention was to create a set of “lungs” from this old psychology textbook. Now I wonder what all this says about her. So I ask…

For the interview with artist, Bronia Sawyer, and more photos of her upcycled textbook piece Live Breathe Art: upcyclingtextbooks.org/?p=1525 

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Thread of Transformation

“The book in question is an old chemistry textbook from my client’s university days that had sentimental value. My concept for this book was to create a sculptural piece with a more abstract composition than my previous altered book work. I began with a flurry of paper folding in a five page pattern with a slightly different variation on the right and left sides.”

For more information, images and a cool time lapse of the beginning stages: http://bit.ly/1L4meYI

Art, Words & Photo by Rachael Ashe

Rachael Ashe is a visual artist currently living in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She works in paper cutting, mixed media altered books, and photography.

http://rachaelashe.com/

[upcyclingtextbooks]

History of Art Purse

Purse & Photo by Etsy Artist ReboundDesigns

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Lioness by @funk-gu​

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Textbooks: Better For Beading or As Learning Tools? 

Watch the video and learn how quick and easy it is to accessorize-- with these unique necklaces, bracelets, anklets and earrings: upcyclingtextbooks.org/?p=1386

Tutorial & Beads by Mika Tanisaki 

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Get the word out. 

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Textbooks don’t want to be textbooks. Set them free! 

[upcyclingtextbooks]

Cyclists Thankful For Old Textbooks?

“Los Angeles is a fascinating city. Seeing it by bike provides an immersive thrill but with aggressive drivers, potholes, and cracks, most riders spend their time anxiously avoiding the urban terrain rather than enjoying the ride. Plugging up some potholes on one of the East Side’s most notorious bike paths seemed like a small way to help bicyclists and boarders travel with greater ease. A lot went into making the textbook paper-concrete mixture, but I’ll give the most credit to my 1970s-era Made-in-America Cuisinart, responsible for perfect pulverization. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

Laurel C Miller - Alumnus, University of California, Santa Cruz

What could you do with some textbook paper-crete?