Life cycles for recycled waste
Breathing life into discarded scraps with both passion and knowledge, artist Nguyen Quoc Dan has created a different artistic flow - the art of regeneration. Nearly 4 years have passed since the "Rebirth Workshop" of artist Nguyen Quoc Dan was born. The story of a street kid living with scraps to a talented artist, then spreading the message of environmental protection, still makes a strong impression today. Because the regenerative art that the artist pursues is not only a sustainable art style that is difficult for anyone to pursue for a long time, but is also associated with useful values for the community and the environment.
“Regeneration workshop”, where waste is not only given a new life, but also tells a story about life, environment and culture. The house is made from homemade corrugated iron sheets covered with scraps like a museum about the journey of recycled items. Previously, Mr. Dan was known as a talented artist with a non-cubist style, but now people come to him for his "enlightened" works with the story of reincarnation behind them. Since then, the values of life and indigenous culture have also gradually been revealed in the "scrap mansion". Handbags, tables and chairs, lanterns, art statues... are all reborn from old drums, aluminum pots, mannequins, bottles, nets... that have been thrown away. Those materials were all things Dan picked up along the beaches of Hoi An, Cu Lao Cham, Nui Thanh,... every month, or bought them from scrap warehouses. Each work has a different material, recycling method, and artistic meaning, but all carry a message towards the environment, and all carry the "crazy" nature of their maker.
Receiving special attention in that collection is the toilet made from scrap stainless steel water tanks right behind the factory, which visitors always line up to check in. Or the work "Hand and Mind" was reborn from discarded mannequins, showing the combination of art and philosophy of life. The most recent is the "Rebirth Tower" project, with iron frames arranged in many floors so that when visitors come here, they can throw a piece of plastic scrap inside. With the implication that each throw is a relief, an action to contribute to the environment. "Tower of Rebirth" is a conceptual work where scrap plastic materials "wait" to spread their wings and transform into birds that are once again "Reborn" and fly high in the sky. This is also the most expensive work that artist Quoc Dan Tam made this year.
Waste has many classifications, colors, styles, and conditions, to combine them to create a unified and harmonious work requires patience, creativity and solid knowledge of high art. Mr. Dan himself admitted this when sharing: "There are countless types of scrap, so it is not easy to create a breakthrough in this school. Just like exploring new lands, the biggest difficulty is in the early stages. Besides economics, finding emotions is the most difficult thing. But for me, that feeling comes from my love for trash and the environment. Therefore, when I start working, I can apply my academic knowledge in the best way. Without love for that object, doing anything is difficult. It takes both love and scholarship to be successful."
Dinh Figure with the mind
Things that are considered waste products in people's daily lives, through the hands of artist Nguyen Quoc Dan, become works. It is also the art school that brings together fractures, connections, and abandonment that has attracted a large number of domestic and international tourists to come and admire this unique property. They even join hands in the process of crafting and shaping works from scrap.
Some people experience it before they feel it, but there are also people who just need to see it to realize the message from different things. “When I first walked in, I thought this was an abandoned house, but no, the closer I got inside, it was like a different world opened up. Surrounded by recycled objects, there is a strange connection and art. My favorite experience is the reincarnation tower. It makes me feel like I just did something very meaningful," said Ms. Truong Thuy Binh, a tourist from the city. HCM said after many unexpected impressions about the "Rebirth Factory". Mr. Ivan Gainulin, a Russian tourist, said: "I came here to learn how to draw and make products from plastic bottles in a beautiful and artistic space. My experiences here made me realize how much people affect the environment. Vietnam really has unique places that I couldn't imagine."
And it is inevitable that guests who are so excited want to own those works for themselves. According to Mr. Dan, here there are things that are products, and there are also things that are works. "There are products like handbags that many people ask to sell because they like them so much, even though I don't sell them cheap, they still buy them," Mr. Dan said.
“As I said, I didn't start doing things for money, I just made money to maintain, not make a profit, so I don't price them by my effort but by the mind of the buyer. Finished products made from discarded things, when people want to receive them back in another form, must have a different way of looking at and appreciating them. As of now, the Rebirth Tower model has two units offering to cooperate, but I still consider it because I want to know the real value they aim for. If they just want to advertise, I refuse immediately," Mr. Dan said.
“In the near future, I want to complete the complete Regeneration Workshop project. Going further, I hope each province will have a recycling museum, telling the story of the journey of recycled plastic. So that the children of future generations will be aware of how the things we do negatively impact the environment and fix them," Mr. Dan shared.
Mr. Dan always believes that artists play a huge role in the community and society. They are not mentors, but with their creativity, they guide people to a more beautiful life and a better living environment.
