Final Reports from Upcycle Project 2021

The Missing Links

Inspiration & Vision I was inspired by the crafted art found in my family’s lake cabin. This led to my decision to utilize a rustic aesthetic that fits hand-in-hand with the inspiration. This means I wanted a subdued hue, natural materials, rough texture, aged appearance, and casual fabrication. My vision for the project’s form is…

Upcycle Final – EDM Ministage

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For my Upcycle Project I decided to make something that I miss due to COVID and something I currently enjoy during the pandemic. I decided to make a mini MainStage with a Playstation theme. This is because I miss festivals the most, and gaming has been a huge help during this pandemic as it gives…

Blog Post 4: Upcycle Design Report

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Scope and Purpose: The goal of this project was to identify and prototype an upcycled aesthetic. I chose to create a model of an Earthship home, known for their upcycled architecture and sustainable design. Background: Earthship homes are a style of sustainable, off the grid architecture that began in New Mexico the late 20th century.…

Industrial Lamp

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The industrial lighting aesthetic is all about functionality and simplicity. It emphasizes the raw and rugged look of industrial design, with materials such as wood being the key elements of the aesthetic. To incorporate this aesthetic into a lighting project, I decided to use fixtures that feature wood guards, an exposed bulb, and other industrial…

Natural Home Decor, Wine Bottle Upcycling Final Report

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We have all been spending far too much time in our homes recently, and if you’re anything like me, you may have rearranged your entire apartment 3 times by now in hopes that you would feel like you were in a less stagnant environment. Well there’s only so much reorganizing one can realistically do before…

Orlog Board Game

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Intro to Viking Aesthetics Viking art is estimated to have started at the end of the 8th century. It was first developed by the Viking tribes of Scandinavia in territories that we now know as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Vikings decorated almost everything with elaborate carvings and contrasting super-positioned materials. Currently, Viking art is mostly…

Sailing Themed Lamp

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For this project I decided to focus on the aesthetic of sailing. Sailing is a part of my family and has been passed down through generations. Every year my family travels to Michigan to sail and partake in our favorite hobby! For those of you who do not know what a Hobie cat is, it…

Saturn V Rocket

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VISION The aesthetic that I chose to base my upcycle project around was spaceflight.  Spaceflight is unique in that its aesthetic is one that arose out of feasibility rather than design. When designing spacecraft, rockets, shuttles, satellites, and stations companies were more concerned with how things worked rather than how they looked. There are some…

A Modern Style Upcycled Table

https://vimeo.com/user134296562/review/515596643/2d35099ce2 https://vimeo.com/user134296562/review/515596643/2d35099ce2 Presentation Video: https://vimeo.com/user134296562/review/515596643/2d35099ce2 Did you know that recycling is bad for the environment? It takes a lot more time, energy, and resources to recycle a plastic bottle, aluminum can, or glass jar than it does to produce new ones out of raw materials. Even after the tedious sorting, transporting, and distributing of recyclable…

Climbing Mobile

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As mentioned in previous progress posts, I constructed a mobile out of old climbing gear.  The aesthetic that I was striving for was that of the climbing gear itself.  I wanted to both show the beauty of it due to the inherit simplicity, and the fact that it hadn’t changed much over the years.  I…

Polaroid Picture Frame

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For the final artifact for the Upcycling Project I created a polaroid picture frame. The inspiration for this artifact came from a poster I have in my apartment that is shown below. From this poster, I wanted to combine the classic / retro aesthetic of old hockey sticks with a modern aesthetic.  How I envisioned…

M.C. Escher Upcycle Final Report

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For my upcycle project, I wanted to capture the aesthetic of the 20th century graphic artist M.C. Escher. I also wanted to try my best to constrain my artifact with actual recycled material I had in my apartment. I think this added to the overall Upcycle aesthetic of the project, but it ultimately cost me…

Low Poly Sculpture Final Report

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For my upcycle project I was really inspired to explore further the low poly aesthetic.  The low poly aesthetic while visually stunning in it’s simplicity has two different forms.  3D and 2D.  The 3D low poly art is a fully rendered computer model with triangular facets which is shaded in accordance to simulated light.  It…

Bicycle Wheel Upcycle Final Report

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It’s always a good feeling to take something you’re ready to throw away and use it to make a useful product. My upcycle project involved taking an old bicycle wheel that was completely useless and transforming it into a functional clock. My goal for the aesthetic of the clock was to have a modern and…

Souvenir Crystal Ball Light

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At this time for the upcycling project, I have managed to make the final product somewhat close to the initial idea. I started off with using solar panels from my calculators to charge Li-ion Rechargeable Button Cells(LIR-2032), 3.6 V that would power a Red LED inside a Crystal Ball Souvenir. My circuit consisted of a…

Upcycled Collage Vase

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For my project, I decided to upcycle a decorative vase I had by using leftover magazines, newspaper, and other paper material lying around my house to form an art piece that fits the Merz paper mache collage aesthetic. I have been interested in the Merz aesthetic ever since I found out about and researched it’s…

Cardboard Rocket Ship

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Presentation and Critiques When I first thought of what I should make for my upcycle project, I wanted to use whatever discarded material that I already have to save time and money. With this in mind, I looked around my place and found several cardboard boxes that are just sitting there waiting to be thrown…

Triumph and Adventure Final Report

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From the beginning, I wanted a piece that could represent the human spirit in all its heroism and strength. Triumph and adventure was the aesthetic and mood that I wanted to evoke when looking at the statue. I wanted it to achieve the correct proportions and hold a pose that would convey the desired energy…

Beer Wall Guitar Strap

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For my Upcycle project I decided to make a guitar strap out of recycled beer boxes. I have been playing guitar since I was in the fourth grade and I recently have fallen back in love with playing and learning new songs. Therefore, when thinking about my desired aesthetic I knew I wanted to do…

Upcycle Final Report – Christmas Tree Aesthetic

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Inspiration: Creativity is not one of my strong suits and thus my Upcycle project took quite a bit of searching. At the beginning of the semester when we discussed our comfort levels with design I rated myself at the very bottom of the list. Therefore, I needed to take a different avenue to come up…

Cardboard AE86 from Initial D

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For my upcycle project, I created a cardboard model of the Toyota AE86 from the show Initial D. I wanted this project to capture the realism aesthetic, as well as the Japanese drift aesthetic. My vision for this project was to create a realistic model of the car that looked as similar to the original…

Lichtenberg Fractal Vinyl Frame

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Presentation and Critiques In this blog post, I’ll be presenting my final revision of my Lichtenberg album frame. I constructed this out of 2-by-4’s laying around my house as the upcycled part in my project. To introduce my project, I’ll first touch on my inspirations. The two main inspirations for this upcycle project are having…

Futuristic Lighting Upcycle

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  The intent of this upcycle project was to create a lighting element that was well-incorporated into the space (such that it is not obvious it is a light) and to give off the vibe that the light was from the future.   [  Starting Point  ] I had already repurposed this metal shelf as…

Skateboard Lamp Final Report

What I did previously: Prior to this post, I made an initial post about the aesthetic and a progress post. In both of these I discussed my aesthetic inspiration and my plans for its functionality (more on this later), but also shared my initial work. I first started with sketches to get a sense for…

Tropical Glass Ocean Landscape Upcycle

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The aesthetic I chose to incorporate into my upcycle project is the tropical aesthetic. I chose this because the topical aesthetics is one of my favorites. I think the tropical aesthetic captures a fun lifestyle that is missing during quarantine. Along with this I think the tropical aesthetic is one that can be well captured…

Ode to Track and Field

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For my project, I decided to upcycle cardboard boxes that I already owned and the racing bibs I have received over the last three and a half years into a work of art embodying the old school athletics aesthetic. The inspiration behind this came from running my last indoor track meet at the University of…

Plant Holder Magnets

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For my upcycle project I wanted to bring plants inside in a minimal clean style that can be multifunctional. I decided to make small air plant holders that also act as refrigerator magnets because I never seem to have enough magnets on the fridge. Since I am still working on decorating my house, I did…

Patchwork Aesthetic: Japanese Gi Inspired Bomber Jacket

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Patchwork Aesthetic: Japanese Gi Inspired Bomber Jacket This blog post will show my final product of the upcycle project. I made a Japanese Gi Inspired Bomber Jacket following the Patchwork Aesthetic. However, before detailing the outcome of my project it is important to recap a few things that some people might not know if they…

Incense Waterfall Upcycle Project

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Inspiration Incense waterfalls are a product found typically in Chinese Feng Shui, and are often created with religious imagery like the Buddha shown in the Figure 2. The origins of incense go back to the Babylonians thousands of years ago; however the backflow incense are attributed to Chinese culture. The inspiration for my upcycle project…

Miami Vice Nerf

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Just a little recap for my original plan for this project… I bought some Nerf guns at the beginning of quarantine to curb my girlfriend and I’s boredom. It quickly devolved into being paranoid of walking into a room due to the fear of catching a Nerf dart in the eye. As the months progressed,…

Cardboard Car Upcycle Project

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For my Upcycle Project I used cardboard to create a model car. The aesthetic that I tried to achieve was a modern supercar style and based the car off of a Lamborghini Aventador. The modern supercars have a distinct look with their sleek lines and low profile to the ground giving them a very noticeable…

Upcycled Ski Chair

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Inspirations and Visions for the Project The aesthetic I have decided for my upcycling project is the high-end ski après lifestyle. It only takes a quick google to realize that buying a hand crafted ski chair isn’t cheap, and yet all the ski resorts tend to have them littered around. As a kid I always thought…

Melting Into the Keyboard

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Making art from trash is an interesting experience, it incorporates creativity and recycling to generate something amazing. For my upcycle project, I used a combination of the minimalist aesthetic, but instead of leaving it devoid of emotion, as minimalism usually is, I tried to introduce some connection to my life to it. I chose to…

Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table

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  The conservation slogan that I remember most from my childhood is the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These R’s are supposed to be applied, in order, to all consumable products that people use. So where exactly does Upcycling fit into the R’s? Is it reusing? Recycling? If you make something that you would’ve bought,…

Upcycle Spatula

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  Completing this upcycle project has definitely been a fun and interesting experience. It is always fulfilling to use low value materials to create something valuable and/or useful. I don’t mean to detract in any way from the value of creating pure art, but I personally find the upcycle process especially fulfilling when one produces…

Upcycled Copper Wire Gingko Sculpture

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For my upcycling project, I planned to make a wire sculpture from upcycled copper wire. I explored several different ideas, including wire-wrap jewelry, or other wire-wrap decorations. For example, the two photos below represent the exploration phase of the project for me. I had no clear ideas in mind, and instead was just using the…

Cardboard Topography

My inspiration for this design comes from several sources. Primarily, however, my inspiration comes from seeing 3D topographic maps and the industrial aesthetic. Both of these things have appealed to me for quite some time, so I though I would try to incorporate them into this project. Large sources of inspiration were the topographic relief…