One man’s trash is definitely another man’s treasure. Or in the case, of Oscar LHermitte, one man’s trash is another man’s art. LHermitte is a young designer studying at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, his recycled paper 334 Bench has been making waves in the green world. The 334 Bench is part of his X Days Project about the interconnection between people and their objects. We caught up with LHermitte to ask a few questions about newspapers, up-cycling and eco-art.
Why did you make the recycled paper bench?
I started that project outside university, when I was in France. I wanted to play with newspapers and find something to do with them. In London, you see so many of them in the tube [underground metro] and the street everyday. I've seen some design projects reusing newspapers pretending they were eco-friendly, but if you looked closely they would have used PVA glue, resin, etc. In my project I wanted to find a way to create a strong structure with the minimal equipment.
What was the inspiration? Is this a climate change project?
I guess my inspiration would be the Droog design's Rag Chair - a chair made out of unwanted rags, tighten with ropes. It is a climate change project in a way, the 334 Bench tends to show people how simple things can be made out of nothing.
How many newspapers were used?
As the named of the bench suggests, 334 newspapers are used to make the bench. I obviously had to experiment first with several more.
Did you use any particular newspapers?
Yes, the newspapers I wanted to reuse were the one you get for free in the tube. They are mass produced everyday, people don't buy them so it is seen as trash. The concept is that, day after day, you keep that rubbish and build your own piece of furniture. I was too impatient to wait 334 days so I called a newspaper agency in Paris and asked them to give me their newspapers left over from the day. I ended up with more than 500! So I only read one of them.
How long did it take to make?
A long time. I took me a few full days.
Is it for sale, if so, how much is it?
It is for sale, and the price is £750 (US$1288).
Has your bench been up-cycled from paper into a bench?
Yes, definitely. I was really surprised when some people told me they found it really nice. It’s a bench, but made out of "trash".
Do you always use recycled or reclaimed materials in your work?
It's not part of all my projects but many of them are about recycling/reusing materials (“Monobanc", "Atesko", or even my last project for Afroditi Krassa LTD called "Once Upon a Year").
How do you decide what material to work with?
When I start a project about recycling, I usually observe people and try to find the material/product they waste the most. Or sometimes the one people will not expect at all.
What other future projects have you got planned?
Well, definitely continuing the X Days Project. I want to make different shapes and furniture. Apart from that series that I have to finish, not really. I am working on my final project at university that deals with misused objects.
Are you a green guy? If so, how?
I try to be a green guy. It's hard. For example, at home we try to separate plastics from cardboards and from cans. But when you see the guys picking up the rubbish, they put everything in the same place. I don't use any public transport, I cycle. I think it is hard to be totally green nowadays because the systems are not making the process easy. People should design some devices that facilitate our eco-processes. If being green is a big effort, most of the people won’t be.
Visit: http://www.oscarlhermitte.com/
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