Casualties Of War: Provocative and Compelling Versions of Plastic Toy Soldiers.

These tiny sculptures, created by Dorothy, were designed for a Colorado Springs Gazette article entitled “Casualties of War.” The two-part article in which these toy soldiers were featured focused on a single battalion based at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, who since returning from duty in Iraq had been involved in brawls, beatings, rapes, drunk driving, drug deals, domestic violence, shootings, stabbings, kidnapping and suicides. Returning soldiers were committing murder at a rate 20 times greater than other young American males.



A separate investigation into the high suicide rate among veterans published in the New York Times in October 2010 revealed that three times as many California veterans and active service members were dying soon after returning home than those being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

The soldiers have been generating a lot of interest in the USA and Canada and the art collective has been contacted by a number of war veterans making them both proud and humble. The toy soldiers were also recently featured in an article in the Irish Times.

Here's a look at the provocative versions of small molded plastic soldiers:









These limited edition figures are now available for purchase in boxed sets for £2,000 each here




Casualties of War
Box set of 4 plastic moulded figurines with bases
7cm high

UPCYCLING: Stunning Bowls Made From Plastic Water Bottles.

Artist Gülnur Özdağlar creates elegant and unusual looking bowls transformed from PET bottles. She calls this process "upcycling". Her aim is to substitute with labor and artistic value the characteristics that the material loses during transformation, thereby obtaining a product of higher value. The collection is named Tertium Non Data (translated from Latin means: the third is not given) and is an alchemic term which refers to the process of combining two disparate elements to create a new, third element.



In this case the new, third element is a collection of diaphanous, attractive tabletop bowls that resemble organic creatures like jellyfish and sea anemones.




The elegant perforated and ornate bowls are created from a regular PET* water bottles. What looks like a flower at the base of the bowls, is the indent from the base of the bottle. If the bottles have a bluish tine, the formed bowls do as well.



Gulnar delicately heats and forms the edges of the bowl to create undulating forms and embellishments like flowers and petals.



With various perforations, cut shapes and added petals, she has managed to create numerous variations, like the ones shown below.











The artist's tools:


The bowls can be used as pet bowls, storage containers, jewelry holders or just as lovely objet d'art. She also makes upcycled jewelry as well.

*PET is Polyethylene Terephthalate, which is a thermoplastic polymer. It can be re-formed by heating. After heating process, it becomes more stiff, rigid, durable and glassy. It becomes even stronger and crystallized when perforated.


above: artist Gülnur Özdağlar with her daughters.

Gülnur Özdağlar studied architecture at the Middle East Technical University and has been active as an architect since she graduated in 1986. She has participated in architectural design competitions, together with various groups, and many of her designs have been recognized with prizes.In addition to being active as an architect, she has also worked in the graphic design and photography fields, and many of these projects have been published in foreign countries in magazines and books. She has received prizes in international competitions of digital art.

•Her website
•Her blog
•Learn to make your own bowls from PET bottles with her "how to guide" on Instructables
•Buy her jewelry or bowls and more at her etsy store

Design You Could Just Eat Up: New Plasticware For Spring

Spring has sprung and that means it time for picnics and outdoor entertaining!

Good design has crept into the plasticware market and here are just a few fabulous finds.

Clockwise from upper left: Pandora Designs ornate plasticware, available in clear as well as other colors, Heavy Stainless-steel looking plasticware, Philipe Starck's fabulous new LUX dinnerware, and The Snap-a-Party by Fred.

Click on the item to be taken directly to the place of purchase.