Metal: The Art of Barrel
“Together we create life,” a collection turning oil barrels into art and living homes for plants, by Hind Al-Therman.
Hind Fahad Al-Therman is an artist who believes art is beyond paintings and the obvious. She finds beauty in the things discarded, re-interpreting them artistically into something deeper. “Art deepens our humanity because it stimulates a sense of life and inspires us with beauty, thoughts and deep human feelings that transcend daily routine,” she told Ithraeyat.
Art in all its forms, has been expressing itself across the different eras, from rock art to fine art to the latest digital art with “no need for an interpreter” for it to reach its viewer. Here she shares her views on her oil barrel art and the importance of sustainability.
Sustainability is a major issue in the world today. Caring for the environment is not something new in art. For instance, the climate change crisis and its challenges is a problem that threatens the future of humanity, and since artists are part of the local and global community, they explore these issues through their art and their deep understanding of the world around them. Today we live in a world overcrowded with waste, and we are accustomed to the consumer life-style, and in the last 100 years, we have become accustomed to cramming everything that is in excess of our needs. The idea of recycling products is not only an economic and environmental idea, but also includes art. Recently, concepts of a circular economy that include recycling and re-use have begun to spread. Art can create new products of an aesthetic nature from waste, old and used materials in accordance with environmental standards. It must be pointed out here that some waste contains dangerous materials, so artists must deal with them carefully.
Oil barrels, oil containers and petroleum products are used and recycled within their field. In the hands of an artist, they are turned into useful and aesthetic pieces of artworks that could have a financial and economic return. For example, using them as planting containers in a way that are appealing to the eyes.
An artist is good at thinking outside the box and gives the product a new look, a new life and a spirit of sustainability.
Another example: car tires. We see them neglected in landfills, and are a visual pollution in cities. I worked to recycle tires into beautiful pieces of furniture and used them as a storage for shoes. It does not take up space and is aesthetically beautiful by adding some fabrics to it and reformulating it with a movable cover.
I do not live by one slogan, I am open to ideas and several things. But if I had to choose one, it is to spread art in every form and spread beauty to the world. Art is a sublime message for generations and is considered one of the most important components of the soft power of states and societies.
With the Saudi vision of 2030 and the transformations that the Kingdom is going through and such as its greater support to the arts, as well as what pioneering cultural institutions such as Ithra are doing, Saudi society will be more sensitive to art and the sector will be more established with a tangible cultural and economic impact. This has a very positive impact on our country and our ability to be creative communities, producing marketable creations.
A shoe storage from recycled tires, a project by Hind Al-Therman.
In the Kingdom, we have a rich and diverse cultural and environmental heritage. Developing this heritage is one of the topics that concern me, as do many artists. In the accelerated time in which we live, I am currently studying digital art. Perhaps there are ways to employ the local heritage and environmental elements in digital arts in a way that presents innovative and interesting forms, expressions and perceptions.
