Retired teacher Chang Jen-chang (張仁彰), 57, transforms discarded handbag straps, straws, bottles and other items into vases, decorative pieces and other environmentally friendly craft items.
Chang has a street vendor license for selling craft items and hopes one day to teach people from disadvantaged backgrounds to make a living by turning recyclable items into art.
He could also help disadvantaged people set up their own street vendor stands, he added.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
Chang, who is to hold a solo exhibition at Taichung Municipal Feng Yuan Senior High School from Friday until Jan. 2, said he began using recyclables for his artistic creations about 10 years ago.
After retiring in 2010, the Taichung-based artist devoted himself to his craft and obtained a street vendor license by passing a municipal exam, he said.
Chang said he likes working with his hands and learns new techniques by searching for them online and consulting other artisans who use similar materials.
Some of his favorite creations include fireflies, locusts and ants that are made from straps of hand bags, while plastic straws could be turned into centipedes, shrimps or Dutch clogs, he said.
Plastic bottles could easily be fashioned into hanging vases, Chang said.
Since his friends and family know about his creative endeavors, they save their used straws or discarded handbags to give him for his projects, which he works on during his spare time from teaching at a local community college, Chang said.
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