A group of UBC Okanagan art students are pushing towards an increased awareness of art-related waste and their impacts on environment.

UBCO鈥檚 Ecosine Art Group creates art with a rule that 50 per cent of their ecologic work must be made from non-purchased medium material such as dumpster finds, recycling and other re-usable mediums.

鈥淚 just started (at UBCO) five months ago and I鈥檝e seen how much of the art gets graded and goes into the dumpster,鈥� said Axle Hildevranv, president of Ecosine Art Group at UBCO.

鈥淚t kept on happening over and over and for me, I鈥檓 always trying to save a dollar here and there. If I can pick up material that鈥檚 already in the process of being recycled in the dumpster or at the dump or somebody鈥檚 waste in the back yard, I鈥檒l grab it for free and make something out of it. Not only does it help the environment, but it also helps the wallet.鈥�

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Hildevranv believes ecological consideration must play a greater part in the art-making and grading process of the modern artist, much like lower emission vehicles and alternative modes of transportation have become commonplace.

鈥淲ith added consciousness towards ecological impacts, traditional art mediums and their delineations can set aside allowing the discovery of new yet undiscovered, undefined areas of emotion, action or vulnerability,鈥� said Hildevranv.

The group will use just about anything to create art. One example of a piece made from reusable material is in a painting of two wolves embracing. The canvas used for the piece is actually an old stop sign that had been found on the side of the road.

On Jan. 24, over 30 of the group鈥檚 pieces, including the highly anticipated ecosine machine will be displayed at the FINA Gallery at the UBCO campus. The group will also be donating 30 per cent of the purchases to the UBC student art union.

For more information on UBCO Ecosine Art Group, visit

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