For 60-year-old Surya S., upcycling is just a contemporary word for an ancient principle. “Our ancestors never threw away anything that could be transformed into a useful object. It’s all about turning the old into new, with a dash of creativity,” she says.
While the larger focus is on plastic objects, Surya says there are other non-biodegradable materials that ‘escape’ the recycling or upcycling radar. “Dish scrubbers, nylon ropes, thermocol sheets, glue bottles for example, are discarded after use, but they too can be turned into simple artwork,” she adds.
A self-trained miniature artist, Surya’s works are all about the wonders of nature. Her recent models revolve around a pressing issue: water conservation. “This summer’s water crisis was one of the worst in many years. There was a lot of talk about the importance of water conservation but not enough discussion on the depleting sources of freshwater or exploitation of waterbodies. My miniatures reflect the various sources of water and how they are disappearing,” says Surya.
Chennai: 02-10-2019, For City: Surya Suri craft maker has created miniature models on the theme water conservation and management out of discarded household materials. Photo: M. Karunakaran
She has created 45 miniatures of lakes and rivers, quarries, waterfalls, dams and reservoirs using waste materials from her home. Old newspapers roll into mountains, dish scrubbers are cut into tree tops and minced to become grass, saw dust and wheat husk form lands and lake bunds, and cotton wads form clouds. Transparent glue takes the shape of water. The display of a miniature of high rise buildings on either side with a lake flowing between them is striking. “I cut out pictures of buildings from newspaper advertisements to create it. I have also not repeated the colour of the water because it is not the uniform blue everywhere. The colour of water in a lake and a quarry are different. It’s important to pay attention to details and I have tried to keep them as real as possible,” she adds.
Chennai: 02-10-2019, For City: Surya Suri craft maker has created miniature models on the theme water conservation and management out of discarded household materials. Photo: M. Karunakaran
Miniature-making was only a hobby for Surya, until her younger sister, Chitra Ramakrishna, a craft-maker herself, urged her to put them on display to create awareness in the community. All the 45 models are on display at an unused warehouse in her apartment complex in Nanganallur. “The miniatures are arranged in a way to explain the origin of water and the various forms it takes. The models are self-explanatory and I hope it will convey the important message of water conservation as well as minimising the amount of waste sent to landfills,” she adds.
The miniatures will be on display till October 9 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Arathi Apartments, 4, 4th Street, Nanganallur. Surya can be contacted at 99412 93664.
