Mick Davis is an artist based in Ireland that came to sculpture working mostly with stone. But as an avid cyclist he was used to wearing out and tossing old tires, so had the though of reusing them as an alternate media for his works. Now after just two years working with recycling tires into his art, Davis has developed a unique and expressive style that combines classic forms and some reproductions of well-known works with the textures and patterns of the treads of a range of used tires. The piece is called ‘Le Poete’ and is based on Rodin’s famous sculpture The Thinker. Take a closer look after the jump, and get a little insight into why Davis mostly left marble behind and is moving forward with recycled rubber…
It is pretty much commonly accepted that old car tires are a major environmental hazard, and it is unfortunately not rare to spot tires on the side of the road or trail where they literally never seem to break down. But even though there are said to be maybe twice as many bicycles in the world as motor vehicles, we often don’t think about bike tires as an equal environmental issue. Davis hopes that by showcasing an alternate end-of-life use for them with his artwork, it will be an inspiration to others to rethink what happens when you get new tires.
He also says he loves working with them as an alternative sculpture medium. His recycled tire sculpture starts with a detailed metal frame that he fabricates onto which he attaches tires both inside and out to create very durable sculptures. Ultimately on the outside he cuts and shapes bits of recycled bike tires of varying sorts to get the aesthetic he is going for, and screws them onto the form he has created. You can see more examples of his unique sculptures on his website.
