KSU MURAL:

The Time is Now

Our Story

The inspiration for this mural came from a trip this summer. Recycled Art plays a large part in my foundations curriculum, and I knew I wanted to do something with bottlecaps in the next year. In anticipation of this, I began collecting caps and lids as part of my daily routine. The habit soon became second nature, but what I also noticed was I began seeing caps and lids everywhere I went: on sidewalks, in the crannies of my car: quite literally everywhere! While walking on the Pacific coast, I would stop to look at shells and rocks, and also to pick up bottlecaps. The ocean is the final depository for discarded plastic waste, and seeing these caps on the beach cemented an aquatic theme in my mind.

I find these artworks that require a change of habits to have a close union with meditative art and the chance to examine the impact of the artistic practice as a Mindful exercise. Works like mandalas and practices like mindfulness are designed to put the participant into a firmer connection with the present: to act, think and engage with the now. In truth, nothing happens in the future, for good or ill, without committments and actions in the present. By engaging with and opening up the opportunity for the public to participate in the meditative side of art, we invite the KSU body to engage in a mindset focused on what actions can be done now. These actions are often small, easy to ignore or pass by, but as they build and add up, they can turn into something intentional and beautiful, and in the process, can change the way we look at and interact with the world around us.

Hear From the Students

Trinity Byrd

This mandala implements the use of a variety of bright, tropical colored bottle caps to invigorate the viewer’s visual senses, and the colors are projected in a symmetrical, radial pattern to move the eye from the emphasized red center out toward the accompanying shapes and back again. Shapes of palm trees, birds, waves, and clouds were introduced to further the illusion that this piece was not meant to merely be an abstract pattern, but a naturalistic vision of peace, serenity, and vacation life as well. Most inspiration came from referenced artwork that featured an image of a place or figure within, as these would allow for a deeper meaning of dreaming or meditating on the idea of vacation and feelings of freedom from the mundanity of everyday life.

Angellina Thomas

This recycled mandala piece includes pieces of recycled bottle caps and plastic pieces in a blue, green, and yellow analogous color scheme. The piece is place on a large mural that is pre-painted and a on top of an assigned portion of the mural with the same analogous color scheme wash background. The message that the piece is trying to convey is like the overall message of the mural: to bring awareness to the public about recycling plastic bottle caps and keeping our environment safe. The colors I used in my mandala are meant to tie to the natural colors of the world, blue for water and the oceans, green for the forest and nature, and yellow for the sun that powers all life on Earth.

Tyler Hariraksatakoon

This project became more and more personal over time, that is because we had been collecting these caps for almost the whole semester and it’s also an amazing feeling to know that we recycled these caps and turned them into these amazing arts. My piece was inspired by sunset, watching sunset relaxes me and eases my mind. I played around with color gradient and added layers to the caps to give it more dimensions and movement.

Charles Jordan

For this project I asked my neighbors as well as my coworkers for help collecting tops. They were so excited to have contributed items that they otherwise would have discarded to be used to create something beautiful.

Abigayle Venn

For my recycled mandala project, I created a radial design that was inspired by the sea and starfish. I chose this idea as the prompt related to sea life and the effect of climate change as well as the pollution of sea populations. In the center of the design, there is a warm-colored starfish that is surrounded by cresting waves that indicate that the starfish is underwater. I wanted to make a starfish as I believed it would lend itself to a radial design quite well, and it would add a pop of color against the blue of the mural.

Briar Matthis

Mandalas in Hinduism represent many things, from the expansive universe, to our smaller individual personal journeys. I’ve depicted something in the middle: The seasons changing, specifically Autumn. Autumn is something we all recognize and relate to, and one could say it’s part of earth’s journey as well.