An object made from recycled material that does not shout out "I used to be an egg carton…or a tin can….." delights me. These windchimes are an example.
It's not that you can't tell, on closer inspection, that they are made from the lids of cans but it is not the immediate awareness.
They were made by a local artist, Rhoda Brodie, inspired by some she had seen up-Island.
They are light and brush against each other in the lightest breeze making pleasant sounds, wind-speaking sounds.
With the idea of making a single length of the chimes from larger tin lids (the Polish Deli uses huge cans of sauerkraut, I seem to recall) and hanging it at the end of a tree branch for rain to slide down, I have now spent two sessions trying to mimic the chimes. No luck.
Rhoda doesn't cut hers, just bends them. Can lids removed with an opener that cuts under the rim do not bend easily, thus my cuts. And I have yet to come up with a way of dividing a circle shape into five easily.
Aluminum pie plates would be easier to work with…..but I don't think they appear in the blue box….maybe playing with cardstock until I get the hang of it – and a template – would be a worthwhile next step……..I wonder if a very very very large circle of clear plastic would fold into an outdoor structure……
This is how the windchimes look in the early evening. They catch the rays of the setting sun and the humming bird seemed to give them a prolonged perusal as he came for his bedtime snack to the feeder nearby.
I look forward to their performance in the next wind display.