The GIANT WATER BOTTLE SCULPTURE Project with Artist Willie Cole
We’ve all heard the expression that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but for several community leaders, students, and teachers, it can also mean material for a giant art piece. Try a 30-foot-tall man, made entirely out of 20,000 recycled water bottles. This type of concept is called “Artcycling,” an initiative created by New Jersey-based artist Willie Cole, who recycles things like plastic bottles and uses them as his art medium.
Cole currently has over 70 pieces of recycled art on display at various spots around the country. Fort Worth is set to be the latest city to display his work, however, this new piece of art, much like the rest of Cole’s work, was the result of a group effort.
This is where some of the students from Fort Worth’s Independent School District and their teachers enter the picture. Since last fall, this STEM-focused project took a collective effort to achieve. Participants collected 20,000 16.9 oz. plastic water bottles, along with their caps, to be assembled into a giant sculpture that is a testimony to sustainability.
Besides FWISD, Arts Fort Worth, and the Tarrant County Education Foundation were also instrumental in providing a helping hand in making this four-phase project come to fruition.
Phase one of this giant initiative was the collection of the bottles that were coordinated among students, parents, teachers, and community members. Once the bottles were gathered, they were delivered to Arts Fort Worth two days a week for several months, so they could be separated, counted, and labeled. The next step in this process was the educational part. Students, along with Willie Cole, artists, and art teachers explored the importance of conservation with students, while constructing the sculpture.
The final phase is where you come in. The Giant Water Bottle Sculpture (GWBS) premieres at W. E. Scott Theatre on March 1. On March 2nd, the GWBS will be on exhibit on the lawn of AFW on March 2, which will include food, music, and activities. Both events are free, however if you are planning on attending, you can reserve a spot on Eventbrite.
A self-described perceptual engineer, Cole says it’s not always easy to “open up perception” and see familiar objects in a fresh way. “You have to look at everything to see what you’re reminded of,” Cole says. “Everything can be anything.”
