mixed tape

I always love me some recycled art. Much like walking into a used record store, you sense the history - a soul that is left uncovered; a narrative untold for the imagination to build and romp around in. The stories, the emotions... if these records could talk... There's something to be said for infusing value into something perceived as value-less. For creating new meaning and new stories from the old and reinventing the discarded.

Enter the work of iRI5. The Georgia-based, self-taught artist works with all sorts of donated and discarded media - playing cards, credit cards, cassette tapes and used books. Her pieces are primarily figurative (featuring well-known public figures), though she asserts her fascination with "the workings of the world, from physics to fantasy."

I particularly love iRI5's cassette tape portraits - there's something very fun about the connection between the media (tapes) and the artists who have inspired and driven the evolution of the media (musicians). As reported by NoiseAddicts, "using these old tapes, iRI5 has turned them into works of art in a series that she calls 'Ghost in the Machine.'"

Check iRI5's website for more examples of her work.