A powerful beauty can be found in that which is castoff and irregular. When I came across the work of Ruben Thier, I was enthralled. The artist strategically places containers under plastic extruders on factory floors to catch the material that would otherwise be discarded between shifts. He refashions the taffy-like layers of plastic into beautiful pieces of furniture. From overproduction and waste, new utilitarian products are born. My contention is that there are enough resources for everyone; we just need to be a bit more parsimonious in the way we consume them. Thier’s work is a brilliant and artful example of how we might achieve this goal.

More from the artist's site.