Newark Artist Transforms 6,000 Water Bottles Into ‘Chandeliers’

NEWARK, NJ — Internationally renowned artist Willie Cole recently unveiled a pair of fancy chandeliers as part of a new installation in the city’s landmark Hahne Building. The kicker? They’re made of 6,000 plastic water bottles.

The sculptures – which have been dubbed “Spirit Catcher” and “Lumen-Less Lantern” – are held together with metal wire. They’ll be hanging year-long as installations in the Hahne building’s atrium and the lobby of Express Newark, the center for socially engaged art and design at Rutgers University-Newark.

“We have a water bottle crisis and a water crisis in general,” Cole said. “Plastic is killing the environment, and lead pipes have impacted big cities around the country, including in Newark. Making a public structure draws attention and makes people ask questions, which can lead to conversation and potential solutions.”

According to Rutgers University-Newark, Cole – who is this year’s artist-in-residence at Express Newark – is a sculptor known for assembling found objects and transforming discarded materials into social commentary. He has transformed Express Newark’s Paul Robeson Art Gallery into a working studio and site of co-creation, in which Rutgers-Newark students and residents of Newark were invited to contribute to the making of large-scale sculptures that are both visually striking and ecologically conscious.

Cole’s exhibition is part of Express Newark’s year-long showcasing of work based on the theme “Aliveness,” which informs the center’s programming of art installations, immersive films, public lessons, studio sessions and community classes. Express Newark leaders were inspired by scholar Kevin Quashie’s recent book, “Black Aliveness, or a Poetics of Being.”

“As we contend with existential threats to our democracy and the environment, 'Aliveness' moves us beyond narratives of catastrophe or nihilism,” said Salamishah Tillet, executive director of Express Newark. “It enables us to imagine new worlds made of ecologically conscious methods, upcycled materials, and our collective vision and will.”

Express Newark is located at 54 Halsey Street in downtown Newark. Visit www.expressnewark.org for public hours; admission is free.

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