Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
In a society where companies and communities alike are constantly encouraged to ‘go green’, recycling and thinking about the environment is a part of our daily lives.
However, a soft drinks giant has taken this idea a step further and has embarked on a new initiative involving ‘upcycling’ – defined as ‘reusing discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original’ – and used it to inspire the local community and raise funds for charity.
GulfWeekly reporter Kristian Harrison put his limited artistic talents to the test to help the cause.
THE recently unveiled ‘Create Beautiful Things’ campaign has seen Coca-Cola collaborate with eight leading artists in the kingdom, who have set about creating innovative objects such as stationary items, fashion accessories and home decorations from discarded materials.
The artists, namely Salah Bushehri, Ella Prakash, Vrushali, Taiba Faraj Ebrahim, Ramah Al Hussieni, Noof Alrefaei and Nawaf Al Malood, will present their finished pieces at an exhibition to be held at Amwaj Marina on Friday.
Their work will then be sold and all funds raised will go towards the Dreams Society, a charity aimed at making dreams come true for children affected by terminal illnesses.
Mohamed Akeel, managing director of The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Bahrain, said: “This is a genuine collaboration with local artists who have joined hands with us to showcase the art and beauty that can be created through upcycling materials, encouraging the community to re-imagine the things we discard on a daily basis.
“We have used this innovative art concept to promote the cause of terminally-ill children who should have the same opportunity to experience joy and happiness as all children. Raising funds through our exhibition of upcycled art will mean our charity partner, Dreams Society, can help realise the dreams of some of these children.”
The ‘Create Beautiful Things’ exhibition will celebrate the art of upcycling by demonstrating the artworks created from second-hand or waste materials and with environmentally-friendly paints contributed by Hempel Paints. At the event, there were be live workshops by the contributing artists to help visitors create their own pieces for good causes.
Creative Salah, who by day is a designer and managing director for an events company, created a wooden figure holding a basket of drinks bottles for the exhibition. He explained: “I rescued this chopped-up wood from a local beach. Instead of it going to waste or being set on fire, I wanted to save it and make something.
“I produce many pieces for environmental causes as I strongly believe in having a clean society. I do painting too, but mainly I’m making handicrafts as I find more joy in creating new things than decorating old ones.”
Similarly, Ramah, a full-time artist and curator, found a wooden palette and put her skills with the paintbrush to good use as she brought an intricate design featuring flowers and birds to life.
She said: “I found it and instantly thought it would make a great canvas. There are so many things you can do with something as simple as a wooden crate.
“I also made drinks coasters in a variety of shapes and sizes from the leftovers of some other crates. I’m delighted that my work will make a difference to the lives of children who have had to go through so much suffering. I’ve collaborated with the Dreams Society before and I’m so delighted to have the chance again.”
Coca-Cola is also calling out to other artists in Bahrain to help explore the creative possibilities of upcycling and produce more upcycled art for display at the exhibition. Artists, whether professional or not, are encouraged to donate paintings or creative work which will help raise funds through an auction. The exhibition will have free entry to all.
***
Kristian’s Take:
There’s a reason I elected to pick up a pen rather than a paintbrush when I left university and embarked on my career as a journalist.
Unfortunately, my genes dealt me a bad hand as my carpenter father’s wonderful woodwork wizardry was relinquished in favour of my mother’s equally stunning ability to draw cats that look like mangled sausages and stickmen that resemble Martians from a 1950s sci-fi flick.
There’s a reason neither of us have ever been on the winning team during intense family games of Pictionary.
I’m not sure at what age I realised that my artistic credentials were, for want of a better word … hopeless, but it must have been while I was still waddling round in nappies.
My art lessons in school were spent discussing Star Wars and Indiana Jones trivia with my affable teacher Mr Roberts rather than sketching Picasso-esque self-portraits, because, in his exact words, ‘Kristian, you’re a lost cause’.
How surprised I was then, that during the media launching of the Create Beautiful Things campaign, we were each asked to create a piece of art for the exhibition.
“… Really?” I exclaimed in mild panic as I looked up and caught GulfWeekly photographer Ryan Bayona giggling as he held aloft his camera while pointing at the wooden slat and paint palette in front of me.
The next 15 minutes were some of the most stressful of my life as I desperately tried not to embarrass myself as friends and colleagues from the media were busy swishing and flicking their way to the Louvre gallery.
I decided to go with shapes that couldn’t possibly go wrong, the X. Forget flora and fauna, spirals and swirls, circles and shells, two plain intersecting lines were about as far as I could go. Luckily, there was a wide spectrum of paints available so I could give each cross its own bit of character.
Ignoring the ‘what on Earth is that?’ jibes from a former close friend at another publication (she knows who she is), I unveiled my masterpiece in front of a grand audience of about 10 people.
I’ll pretend I didn’t see the surveying up-and-down glances and the cursory nods which said ‘at least you tried!’ better than the words themselves ever could, but at least my nightmare was over.
And, now my work will go up for auction at an exhibition. Can you believe that? Although successfully flogging it might have to involve bribing my sister with a pile of chocolate that will put any prospective Halloween haul to shame, my artwork may actually be sold.
Just imagine Mr Roberts’ face when I message him on Facebook to tell him that. Lost cause indeed!
