“A neighbor [of mine] was throwing out some of his pornography and I asked him why he was doing that, he said he was clearing out a part of his life, who I later found died a couple months later”

If you look closely you can see syringes within the individual boxes which people found a symmetry to drug addiction.  Pieces are derived in an organic matter, the ideas coming to the artist after spending some time with them for a while.

Q: What do you love most about living in the Bay Area?

A: Its so green.

Q: How would you describe your art to a stranger?

A: I fit things together.

Q: When are you most productive?

A: Late night, around 2 am.

Individual plastic containers placed in front of a collage.

Q: Is there an artist that has inspired or influenced your work?

A: Joseph Cornell; I read when he would sweep his mom’s basement, he would collect and save the dust.

(Above) Truong luckily found a large amount of protein cups, cut out magazine pieces and arranged them in each cup.  He mentioned that he goes to the Alcoa aluminum foundry to make his frames. Truong has a fascination of transforming objects by dipping them in wax from old candles.  When he goes to Scrap and finds a large amount of a repetitive item, he will buy them and store them away until he can find a use for them.

Q: What was the last show you attended?

A: It would have to be my own, after my last show at the Minna gallery I was exhausted.  I go to my students concerts, but the music is a little hardcore for me, but I try to make it to other art shows as often as possible.

He would write poems on this piece and sporadically erase parts of the poem to the point of it losing its coherence.  Truong says of this, “I wanted to lose myself in the art when erasing the letters and words”

Q: What future direction do you see your art work taking?

A: Tone down the pieces, and not use as much lighting as I have in past pieces.

One of his published books Within the Margin, was inspired by Richard Serra who stated “In order for art to exist in our society there will have to be marginalized artists.:  The poems from the book had the intention of wrapping all the way around the gallery, he tried to have his book without margins, but the printers weren’t able to not have margins, “technology has limited many of his endeavors.”

Mark Lukach documents Katheleen Egan’s Plastic Wave creation.  A surfer and environmentalist, Kathleen picked up plastic trash on the beach–to later be used in her artistic creation of a plastic bottle, wave riding, barrel in the video above.

Greetje van Tiem, a Dutch Designer has figured out a way to weave newspaper into classy material which can be used to upholster furniture…

…or weave into a curtain.

(Above) A closeup of the texture.  The process is deceivingly simple, it just takes time and patience.  Here’s how you do it.  Images via Dezeen

Manto a fashion label that brings back traditional Argentinian weaving has a collection appropriately called Rubber.

They successfully incorporate used tires into their patterns resulting in fresh, sturdy bags.  Via TreeHugger

Even plastic bags can be woven into a new life as a bag, carpet or whatever you wish.  Above are details of how nice the product can turn out.  If you feel inspired, find out how you can weave plastic.  Images via Homestead Weaver.

Something a little harder to weave for the ordinary craftsman is cassette tapes.  Alyce Santoro makes funky clothing and more that can actually play music.

Her label is called Sonic Fabric.  They have nice ties also for men.

Any other unorthodox material out there that can be turned into textile and be woven?  Let’s hear it!