A giant dome built from more than 100,000 recycled bottle caps is one of the standout attractions at this year's Belle Isle Art Fair, turning discarded materials into a colorful, large-scale art installation with a message about sustainability.
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The Grand Dome is the work of artist Adrienne Outlaw, who says the structure is designed to be both functional and thought-provoking.
"This is a zip tie dome so you can put it together with zip ties in a day, take it apart, go elsewhere if you need to," Outlaw said.
Outlaw asked people from multiple communities to save their bottle caps instead of throwing them away. The installation is made up of 105 individual removable panels, and about 300 people helped create the two traveling domes.
"Each panel on its own may or may not stand up to sort of the gaze of the art world. It's when you put it all together and then you activate it and then the sun comes over and the shade happens and the shadow play happens. That's when the art really comes alive," Outlaw said.
The inspiration behind the dome, Outlaw said, stems from growing concerns about climate change and the need for adaptable shelter.
"I'm really interested in responsibility and as the climate just gets worse and worse and you hear these horror stories about disasters all over the world and people lose their homes, I started really thinking about what kind of shelters can we move from place to place and what kind of shelters will withstand these types of conditions," Outlaw said.
For Outlaw, sustainability extends well beyond recycling.
"Sustainability is one of those things that impacts absolutely everybody. And if we don't, and when I'm talking about sustainability, I'm not just talking about plastic or recycling. I'm talking about sustainability for everything. How can we sustain relationships? How can we sustain ourselves? How can we really come together and experience life in a fuller way that's not selfish?" Outlaw said.
Her message for visitors is simple.
"That taking care of yourself and taking care of others can be really fun," Outlaw said.
The sustainability theme extends throughout the fair. Joel Newport, representing the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), set up an interactive space to challenge visitors to learn more about recycling and how to properly sort waste.
Newport said Michigan has made significant progress on its recycling goals.
"Michigan has increased its recycling for the 5th consecutive year. So we've gone from roughly 14% in 2019 up to 26% this year. So we are well on our way to our goal of 30% recycling by the year 2030," Newport said.
Newport said access and knowledge remain the biggest hurdles.
"Oh, there's a lot of them. I mean, access is always a challenge for folks. That's why we've increased curbside recycling in more communities across the state. And then knowledge, what can be put in curbside and what shouldn't be put in curbside, which is a big part of our efforts," Newport said.
His advice for anyone unsure whether something belongs in the recycling bin: when in doubt, throw it out.
More than 150 artists from across the country and Canada are taking part in the 11th annual Belle Isle Art Fair. The fair wraps up Sunday at 5 p.m.
To learn more about the fair visit: www.belleisleartfair.com
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