The characteristic reflectivity and round shape of CDs make them stand out like sore thumbs in most sustainable art pieces, leading to a result that can be a bit amateurish. But some artists have managed to elevate this waste material to a true art medium, creating sculptures that transcend their mundane beginnings. These recycled CD sculptures by Sean Avery are a beautiful example, so artfully formed that you can barely even tell what they’re made of.
The Australian artist cuts the CDs into tiny shards and blends them with other materials to create his animal sculptures. Using the translucent blue-green color of the CDs to its full advantage, the sculptures look, at times, as if they’re made of sea glass.
Cut and crafted into the feathers of a bird or tufts of fur on a bear, the CD shards make each sculpture look even more multi-dimensional as they glitter in the sun.
As the world switches from wasteful CDs to more environmentally friendly data formats, like tiny flash drives or digital storage that eliminates the need for physical media altogether, millions of these plastic discs will end up in landfills. Perhaps this will inspire more thoughtful and well-crafted art like Avery’s.

