Can I get a ReFound?

So last week we had World of Kitsch's Clare blogging about the wonders of retro furniture, but today we're taking it to the next level in re-usability with a focus on an amazing project for upcycling and second life items for the home. Based here in N. Ireland ReFound takes the old and turns it into new, with the help of some very talented, visionary artists. Visit their website and you'll see the ethos "one man's trash is another man's treasure" as the basis for the ReFound concept. Furniture found in auctions, markets, car-boot sales or donated by friends and supporters, is given a new home until a ReFound artist has chosen a vintage piece to be restyled with a more contemporary feel. The group will also revamp personal items that people know have seen better days but can't bare to part with.

Below, with before and after pictures, ReFound artist Ryan O'Reilly talks about the piece he prepared as part of the initiative. 

"In an ongoing photographic and printmaking project called ‘Day or Night’, I have been documenting remnants of signage, typography and geometric patterns found amongst urban and post-industrial environments, creating prints based on these forms and fragments.

This piece immediately interested me with the opportunity to turn a tarnished commercial object into a decorative piece of furniture. I wanted to reference it's original purpose as a retail shipping crate and included lettering collected from shopfronts and factories across Belfast.

I enjoy the juxtaposition of the traditional and modern in interior design. The painted lid and additional tapered legs are inspired by atomic age furniture while the piece is finished with a Victorian letterpress block (a 288pt Gothic N by DeLittle, York for those interested)." 

Ryan O'Reilly is a designer and illustrator based in Belfast. Interested in combinations of music and visual art, he has curated audiovisual exhibitions ‘Oh No! Ulster’s Hidden Reverse’ at the Black Box and ‘Warm Moving Bodies’ at Ormeau Baths Gallery. Ryan has also initiated a broad range of events in his home city including the monthly Black Market art and craft fair, Bop Yestrum club night and many live music performances as a member of the Ordinary Days collective. He is founder and curator of Oscillations, a festival of new international music, art and film. 


Contact: ryan@rinky.org


You can help support starving artists like Ryan, by visiting http://www.refoundonline.com/available.php and purchasing items on offer. The arts always gets hit hard at times of recession, so supporting initiatives like these that are both creative and eco friendly, is doubly important. The artists also provide a little insight into what inspired them with regards to each piece, a nice little touch to what is a rather lovely sight.