cyrus kabiru sculpts artistic eyewear from found objects + recycled materials

cyrus kabiru sculpts artistic eyewear from found objects + recycled materials

kenyan artist cyrus kabiru works across the mediums of painting and sculpture. his creative practice extends from a desire to turn waste into something new, in which he focuses on using recycled and found materials he picks-up on the streets of nairobi to craft his intricate series ‘C-STUNNERS’. the collection of bifocals is made from e-waste such as motherboards and speaker parts, in which the artist captures the playfulness and sensibility of the youth in nairboi. he then photographs himself in the one-of-a-kind wearable art objects.

the kenyan artists crafts unique eyewear pieces out of trash

as a young child kabiru really admired glasses and the way they captured or framed one’s face, but his father never wanted him to have real specs. as a response to this he started to make his own out of various discarded components. while the eyewear is aesthetically intriguing, kabiru also seeks to generate a resourcefulness amongst people in getting them to look at trash in a new light.

the one-of-a-kind objects are made from waste that kabiru finds on the streets of nairobi

a bent spoon is the focal point of these ‘C-STUNNERS’, while cork bits are used as nose pieces
the ‘C-STUNNERS’ project extends from the artist’s desire to have glasses as a child
kabiru bends and sculpts metal to create each unique pair
some of the eyewear incorporates traditional african beadwork
‘westgate’, 2013
zulu mask, 2010
red indian, 2013
istanbul mask, 2013
fatherboard, 2012

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