Artist Statement

Neil Benson

Found Object Artist & Photographer


"I am excited by trash transformation - art alchemy. I'm thrilled by the challenge of fishing in the trash stream in the US (it's really a trash tsunami). Removing things from dumpsters and fashinging new uses is a spiritual experience for me - refuse resurrection requires all my creative abilities to break away from past uses to see new life in old objects.

"In Philadelphia we have a group of salvage artists called the Dumpster Divers, where we throw out ideas of reuse and recreation. Our motto is 'Ejectamentum nummi nostrum - Your trash is our cash.'

"Recently, South Carolina has begun an annual national design gathering with the collection name of 'Ripple Effect.' At the core of this program is our belief that Art can lead the way for society's reuse imperative. The 'Ripple Effect' is creativity, spreading throughout our culture, addressing the limits of our resources by using our imaginations in limitless ways. Everyday, treasures are put out by the curb - we just have to go find them."

Neil Benson lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.



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