CAIRO - Getting rid of junk is a heavy burden for many people. Useless items pile sky-high in their apartments and take too much space. But for some these items are real treasures; they crave to collect and transform them into unique and extraordinary pieces of art. “For me each scrap item is a treasure; I can use it to create an accessory,” said Wehad Samir, a jewellery designer and professor of jewellery at the Higher Institute of Applied Arts. “I ask my students and friends to bring me what they consider useless, and I show them how to turn junk into art,” she added. Wehad is obsessed with collecting scrap to create accessories. She started the project ‘Scrap – A Source of Income' in 2008 and turned it into a research paper. The idea of making accessories out of scrap came to her when she was looking for something in the drawers of a cupboard and found her grandmother's set of table silver. She never used it, but didn't want to throw the silver out. In this moment, a brilliant idea came to her and she decided to create a complete set of accessories from the table silver. Imagine wearing a fork earring or a spoon necklace! “In the beginning people were shocked to see the unusual set, but eventually they asked me to make similar ones for them,” she said. “Art depends on creativity and fertile imagination. Coming up with a new trend is a healthy phenomenon,” she added. Wehad can transform any scrap items into unique accessories like earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches and scarf pins. She can use small lamps, pebbles, pins, keys, bottle caps, matches, buttons, yarns, wires, nails, nuts, gears of watches and recharge cards. It truly is a recycling process, while keeping the shape and colour of the items to preserve their nature. The challenge is to create an accessory whose material is totally far-fetched. According to Wehad, to create an accessory you don't need to draw a design first. You just spread all sorts of things out in front of you and then give your imagination free reign. “Making accessories from scrap items doesn't require specific talents or skills; anyone can do it, without being Faculty of Fine Arts or Applied Arts graduates,” she said. “In Faculty of Arts and Mass Communication workshops, the students are more creative than those who major in fine arts, because for them it's just fun,” she added. This style is not only fun for young people. The older generation and children are also fascinated by the idea because it awakens their repressed talents. The artist said that a grandmother brought her 5-year old granddaughter to a course. The girl watched silently and then disappeared suddenly. Everybody was looking for her. Finally they found her sitting in a corner, completely engrossed in making her own unique piece of art. She used two plastic forks and colourful buttons to make a hairpiece and was not even afraid to use the wax-melting machine to stick the pieces together. Wehad keeps this special piece created by the young artist and her small hands as a souvenir. What is really interesting about Wehad's approach is that it doesn't only satisfy her appetite for creativity, but also presents a solution for getting rid of junk. The Government spends huge amounts of money on waste disposal. By creating art out of rubbish we can contribute to saving the environment. Moreover, this can help to overcome unemployment and solve young people's social and economic problems. “I dream that everybody learns a certain craft as a source of income; we shouldn't depend all the time on the Government to provide us with jobs,” she said. “I can give free courses to people interested in learning how to make jewellery or accessories, but they should be willing to learn,” she added.
