Shropshire Star

Shropshire forges links with Kenya over art

A Shropshire businessman has flown out to Africa to look at innovational artwork recycling projects.

Published
Clive Knowles with the flip flop art

Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, is in Nairobi to share ideas and look at collaborations between the two countries.

Mr Knowles said that the most exciting projects involved turning waste into sculptures and he is hoping that it will help similar projects at the centre near Oswestry.

He said: "We’ve been talking and corresponding with artists and government depts over trying to arrange a collaboration whereby we share ideas.

"This trip with hopefully strengthen those relationships by meeting and sharing ideas.

"Some of the most unique ideas in creating sculpture and art from house hold and industrial waste are being launched from east Africa."

Mr Knowles is visiting artists and organisations and travelling to some of the poorest slums to see how people are converting household waste into art and necessity projects.

"Their need to re-use their waste is essential as new materials are not always available but they have an abundance of domestic and commercial waste that is easily accessible, at little or no cost."

He said one of the projects included turning flips flops and other rubber into sculptures.

"Their ingenuity and imagination will directly contribute and influence our Schools Partnership Projects that we are presently championing with over 100 county and regional schools currently involved."

The centre's schools project includes pupils collecting bottle tops and Mr Knowles said these are then put intomesh wire giraffes supplied by the centre.

"The giraffes are being loaned to schools across the county and region to excite and encourage children to think about what’s thrown away at home and how it might be reused."