Rather than just leaving phone books to rot in the gutter Alex Queral decided to recycle them — by turning them into works of art!
Alex Queral’s “It’s All Relative” (Albert Einstein). Photograph: Projects Gallery
When Alex Queral saw a pile of unwanted phone books 14 years ago, he was hit with a flash of inspiration. Rather than just leaving them to rot he would recycle them, using them as the basis for works of art by carving portraits out of them.
Alex Queral’s “It’s All Relative” — side view (Albert Einstein). Photograph: Projects Gallery
Ever since, the artist has made up to two carvings a month, with subjects including Barack Obama, Clint Eastwood, the Dalai Lama and the Beatles.
Alex Queral’s “The Man With No Name” (Clint Eastwood). Photograph: Projects Gallery
Explaining how he got started, Queral told The Telegraph: “I’m sure a lot of hard work goes into recycling [phone books] but there are thousands that go unused at all because most people just use the internet to find people these days.”
Alex Queral’s “The Man With No Name” — side view (Clint Eastwood). Photograph: Projects Gallery
“I was out looking for wood to make a sculpture one day and I noticed a huge pile of them on the pavement. I suddenly thought they would probably make a pretty good material for carving, so I gave it a go.”
Alex Queral’s “Pee-wee” (Pee-wee Herman). Photograph: Projects Gallery
The medium emphasizes the reuse of abandoned materials as well as the extraordinary human individuality emerging from the vast numbers of names listed in the phone book.
Alex Queral’s “Pee-wee” — side view (Pee-wee Herman). Photograph: Projects Gallery
Queral, 51, who lives in Philadelphia, told the Projects Gallery: “In carving and painting a head from a phone directory, I’m celebrating the individual lost in the anonymous list of thousands of names that describe the size of the community. In addition, I like the idea of creating something that is normally discarded every year into an object of longevity.”
Alex Queral’s “False Modesty” (John Goodman). Photograph: Projects Gallery
He added, “I carve the faces out of phone books because I like the three-dimensional quality that results and because of the unexpected results that occur working in this medium. The three-dimensional quality enhances the feeling of the pieces as an object as opposed to a picture.”
Alex Queral’s “John 1963″ (John Lennon). Photograph: Projects Gallery
Queral, who studied fine art at the University of Pennsylvania, says that he particularly likes subjects who have odd or unusual facial features (meaning that they particularly stick out); some of his favorites include John Candy and Jack Nicholson.
Alex Queral’s “Ringo 64″ (Ringo Starr). Photograph: Projects Gallery
However, making mistakes in the painstaking procedure can be disastrous. Queral told The Telegraph, “Nearing the end of the carving and then suddenly having it ruined by a careless cut can be pretty crushing. You have to start all over again.”
Alex Queral’s “He Was So Right About Bush” (Michael Moore). Photograph: Projects Gallery
Jessica Bates
June 9th, 2010
Incredible!
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Jen
June 13th, 2010
I can’t believe how awesome these are. How exactly do you do them, do you wet the books so you can form the dimensions? It is just fascinating. Good job
Michael Simon
June 14th, 2010
You can see him in action here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEI89_OgjDM&feature=PlayList&p=409851E0BFF80356&playnext_from=PL&index=0&playnext=1
My understanding is that he carves the books while dry, following a freehand sketch, then highlights the image and then seals them (explaining the darker areas on the page).
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Britwenger
June 21st, 2010
This is good post. I think still you should add more video and pictures because it helps understanding :)
Another 10 Artistic Uses of Ordinary Things
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[...] Alex Queral, from Philadelphia, is a sculptor with a difference. He creates portraits of famous people from discarded phonebooks. He does this by first making a freehand sketch of the person he will carve. Using the sketch as a template, he then places it over the phonebook and starts carving the face into the pages using an artist’s scalpel or razor blades. ‘It can be quite tense work sometimes because it takes a long time to finish and when you cut something away you can’t get it back again. Nearing the end of the carving and then suddenly having it ruined by a careless cut can be pretty crushing. You have to start all over again,’ said Queral. He now makes up to two new carvings each month and has produced carvings of Barack Obama, Jack Nicholson and the Dalai Lama on the discarded books. For more photos, go here. [...]
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