One man’s junkyard is another man’s treasure trove. San José based artist and architect, Francesco Bracci takes everyday detritus and gives them new life as public art. His projects such as a 40-foot sculpture made from plastic bottles and a tunnel built from 3,000 beer crates that washed ashore, shine a light on how consumer excess and rapid urbanization are affecting Costa Rica’s environment. “People have to confront public art and that generates dialogue,” he says. “I use my art to express what’s going on in society and hope it sparks action.”
Francesco has recently been using his training as an architect to repurpose abandoned buses into stylish and cleverly designed tiny homes. In Costa Rica, public buses are taken out of service after 20 years. Those buses, he says, would have otherwise been compacted and sent to China or left in a field to rust. “I try to use rescued materials in every project, whether art or architecture,” he says. “It’s a challenge, but it proves that we can give an object new life with a little creativity.”
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