CONCORD, NC - TuxedoKat has been turning trash into vibrant sculptures and putting them on display on Historic North Union Street in Downtown Concord.
Glass from vases, plates and bowls of every color of the rainbow were collected from thrift stores across Concord and Charlotte and smashed into pieces to create the gradient rainbow panels that make up the two towers of The Meta Sculpture.
“‘Meta’ refers to itself, like a painter painting a portrait of themselves painting and I love referring to myself as the rainbow making a rainbow. I am taking the pieces of broken glass and giving them new reasons for meaning. That’s so meta.” TuxedoKat said about her work.
Early in 2021, TuxedoKat debuted her first large-scale glass art sculpture on North Union & Buffalo Street, “The BookMark”, an 8’x 2’x 2’ rectangular prism which repurposed broken pieces of indigo glass collected from one of Concord’s famous textile warehouses - saving a little piece of history.
Both of these large-scale glass art sculptures are constructed of upcycled glass shards, fiberglass and epoxy onto a steel frame. Each panel’s glass is grinded to a smooth texture and each tower contains an LED light feature that mystifies the structure at night. Observers are encouraged to get up close to take in the color and touch the glass panels.
“I love to hide meanings beneath the surface of my art, knowing human nature is to assume first impressions as truth without having the curiosity to dig deeper. I like to create fantastic spectacles that grab those first impressions while hinting of those easter eggs just beyond the surface. I also enjoy observing how far the observer goes into the meaning of my art.” TuxedoKat explains.
TuxedoKat plans to go deeper into her glass art process to create more upcycled structures that entertain and enlighten.
