If you have a large collection of old cassette tapes and don’t know what to do with them, here’s an upcycling idea for you. Check out this amazing cassette tape art by Erika Iris Simmons. She probably had the same problem and now she’s even become famous for solving it with her recycled art! Smart people say that every problem is an opportunity in disguise, and this probably turned out to be true.
Erika Iris Simmons (born in 1983 in St. Louis, USA) uses old cassette tapes to create incredibly artistic celebrity portraits. Since her emergence, Erika has blended the concerns and methods of conceptual art with craft-making and popular culture to create her own whimsical installations. She explores the nostalgia of the archaic, using second-hand items as her art medium. Her ongoing series ‘Ghost in The Machine’ aims to “read” the data of these cassettes and draw the spirit and personality of famous music icons out of them.
She’s been featured as the official artist for The Grammys in 2013 and she’s created her unique art as advertising for heavyweights such as RayBan and Hermès. Erika is the artist behind Bruno Mars’ ‘Just the Way You Are’ music video, with her work being featured front and center throughout. So you may have seen her work without realizing it! Nevertheless, check out this cool collection of musician portrait art from this talented and crafty artist.
1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Bob Marley
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. John Lennon
6. Madonna
7. Kurt Cobain
8. Debbie Harry of Blondie
9. Paul Griffiths
10. Marilyn Monroe
11. Melona Creager
12. Robert Smith
13. Lenny Kravitz
14. Lauryn Hill
15. Michael Jackson
