Jen Thario Art. Portland, Oregon. - portfolio - Street Paper, Oahu. 2011-2013

portfolio > Street Paper, Oahu. 2011-2013

Street Paper is an exploration of creating with free, widely available and often wasted local resources. All materials are scavenged in 96822. Fibers gathered from local plants are combined with forms of paper fiber which are difficult or impossible to recycle locally such as fiberboard packaging, junk mail and colored (flyer) papers, which are used to dye the pulp. Moulds are built from salvaged wood and fabric. Various combinations of pulps and fibers are then recast into handmade paper and forms.

Trash Talk Story Books

I make a 'fiber' story book for each batch of Street Paper. It contains samples of types the recycled papers and fibers used to create each paper type - each is a recipe book of sorts.
Trash Talk Story Books Detail

Detail - each book contains samples of types the recycled papers and fibers used to create each paper type - a visual recipe book of the paper and its components. In this image is palm fibers on the left, an astrobright flyer in the center, and lauhala leaves on the right.
Souvenirs. 2012.

Installation View
Souvenirs (Detail)

Eight 6' diameter Lei. Handmade Recycled Paper (fiberboard packaging, paper, botanical fiber)

Each Lei is constructed of 3220 recycled paper flowers, each flower representing 10 tons, totaling 643,960,000 pounds of paper thrown into the waste stream annually on Oahu. There are over 25,000 handmade paper flowers in the installation.
Re/Pair

Compostable Graffiti, Site 4. Baobab Tree

Finding a lack of recycling options on the island, I decide to give the paper back to the trees.
Re/Pair (detail)

I use recycled paper pulp to infill the the holes in trees, many of which are the result of human interventions, such as climbing and pruning.
Re/Pair

Compostable Graffiti. Site 10.

Handmade paper was imbedded with seeds, which was then die cut into flowers. The flowers were scattered in a tree hollow which retained rainwater and later sprouted what the birds did not eat.
Re/Pair

Compostable Graffiti. Site 7.
Re/Pair

Compostable Graffiti. Site 9.
Re/Pair

Compostable Graffiti. Site 2 (detail)
Re/Pair

Compostable Graffiti. Site 3.
Stratification

I have long held a fascination with notions of Nature vs. Nurture. Wood grain represents an inherent combination of both. A tree and subsequently its lumber display the combination of these characteristics exquisitely. For this work distinguishing marks from the wood grain, such as knots, were removed and replaced with processed fibers. Same, Same?