Junkyard Mandalas

These little gems are the by-product of a construction job. Nicky and I were hired to renovate the bathrooms at the boat yard. Our first order of business was to rip out the 40 year old vinyl/asbestos tiles. They didn't exactly pop out with ease, so we had to power sand the left over bits off with a power sander. The vinyl tile bits would melt onto the sander sheets and render them unusable. The melted tile, wood chips and floor grit made the most beautiful patterns on the sander sheets; they looked to me like mandalas. 

I saved them, took them home and made these. They were the by-product of one production process: a bathroom renovation. Each one was used, rendered unique and cast off. I took them home and brought them into a new production process: making art. I worked to develop the characteristics each sheet had taken on for a collaborative creation between myself and the act of renovating the bathroom.  

For a while now, it has occurred to me how wasteful the process of art making can be. I use brand new sheets of paper for sketches I throw out, and my mark making is done with toxic materials that are the by-product of some harmful process. It was nice to be able to appropriate something beautiful that would have ordinarily been thrown out in lieu of making another new purchase at the art store. I just get tired of buying shit. 

There is just so much stuff in the world; what a joy to be able to use what one already has...or doesn't need. 

Now I have to figure out how to frame these things, any ideas? petraszillions@gmail.com

Blank Mandala