Episode 043: Elephant in the Room

In which we discuss recycling, upcycling, and Super Frau!

Some mornings I find myself recording musical sketches without a specific direction. Just sandbox-playing, trying out new ideas, new sounds, new grooves. 

Re-use is a big thing for me, especially during playtime. I pull pieces of things I've used previously and rework them, turn them inside out, etc. All in the name of generating new ideas and sounds.

This is a pretty common thing in music, we've talked about sampling before.

Many visual artists do this as well. Maybe the most internationally well-known of these types of artists is the Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui. His recent work Elephant in the Room is one of my absolute favorites.

Elephant in the Room, El Anatsui, 2022

Our recent trip to London not only inspired me to write Poets’ Corner from a few weeks ago, but also today’s piece. Not long ago, the NYT did a fantastic interview with the artist about his new show at the Tate Modern. We had to check it out – and the stunning exhibition, with massive floor-to-ceiling hangings and sculptures, really defies belief. 

Here is a little bonus snap of me in front of Behind the Red Moon, which does not do justice to its majesty:

I left the show blown away by his work, and got a little obsessed, reading about all of the shows he's done throughout the world and checking out every piece on his website. That’s where I found today’s inspiration.

Anatsui confronts ideas of consumption, waste, and environment using resources typically seen as garbage. Wood, liquor bottle caps, cassava graters, printing plates, copper wire, crumpled aluminum—all part of his art.

Elephant in the Room is made entirely of reclaimed tropical hardwood, reassembled and painted. It’s just slabs of old wood. Looks like an elephant.

Art.

Finally, I positively loved doing this reduction. Because of the way I hard outline the geometric shapes, I can't put them too close to each other or they will bleed together. So here I spread the shapes out a bit. I can feel each piece of wood as a separate thing now, and also see that bright white background come through a little more. A little hope shining through for our planet.

Elephant in the Room - Reduction

A little slower-moving than usual…like elephants!

Last time I wrote an elephant-related beat, I went a little overboard with the ponderous, galumphing bassline. This time, a little more subtle.

So, I’m still featuring the bass here, but a bit more artfully, I think. Something about this sculpture I take as, I don’t know, thoughtful?

In my mind I saw this big guy tromping along, doing what elephants do, and every once in a while looking up and checking out his surroundings. That's what those little doodles of bass and electric piano are: distracted elephant!

All the twinkling and sparkling piano lines and echoing voices…just the sounds floating along in the air that might be catching this guy's attention.

Drums are a little more understated than usual for me too. And no big snare drum! Some clicks and claps did the job here. 

That kick drum knocks though, right?

Artists whose work is centered on the environment and re-use, or Artivists, are very big in today’s art world.

Standing armies of garbage; horses made of recycled toys; pop-art portraits made with old cassettes; fantasy beasts made with recycled tires.

You can truly make anything out of anything. So: Art. Go make some.

You can also, apparently, upcycle when it comes to making new foods from unused food bits that would otherwise go to waste. At first blush, it may sound a bit unappetizing, but it’s pretty fantastic. 

My wife recently told me about a woman-owned company called Super Frau!, which makes “upcycled fizzy drinks” out of the whey discarded by companies that make Greek yogurt. (Did you know that more than half of the whey is discarded?) As a vegan, this drink isn’t for me but…as someone concerned with the planet, I’m hopeful that non-vegans will give it a try. The Peach Mango one, maybe?

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