The Pearl International Hotel at 5th Mile Jalan Klang Lama celebrated their Christmas with a 3.5m-high recycled Christmas tree. The complete staff that contributed in some way or the other to create the beautiful tree very proudly flaunted the artwork on the Christmas Eve yesterday. Datin Chew Chia Chiann, the vice-president of business development and finance, came up with the innovative idea of creating a Christmas tree using recycled materials.

The stunning Christmas tree was made entirely of mineral plastic bottles. As many as 3,000 mineral bottles with fairy lights have gone into the making of this stunning work of art. Adding to the beauty and grace of the tree is a 2.13m-long chandelier made from plastic cups and newspaper strips, placed just above it. Ever since the art department came up with the final concept three months ago, the various departments got down to work. The housekeeping department collected recyclable items from the guest rooms, while the engineering department built the base structures, which made use of mesh wire for fencing and leftover plywood.

Image: MC =)

The Newspaper House is participatory art, community project and a statement on the environment all rolled up into one – literally! With the most recent incarnation boasting walls, floors and shingles of thousands upon thousands of rolled up old newspapers, Sumer Erek’s installation is a thought-provoking take on the place we call home.

The theme of ‘house’ is a common thread for Erek, who is a refugee of Cyprus and moved to Britain in 1970. From Erek’s website:

“A house is a building, it is a roof over one’s head, and it is also a repository for nationhood, identity and belonging. By creating a house, I don’t only dwell upon my existence in it, but also build a ‘home’ for art.”

Image: sarflondondunc

Commissioned by Creative City, the first Newspaper House appeared in Gillett Square, London, last March. The public was invited to stop by, rolled up London dailies in hand, to help the artist build the house. By the end of the live demonstration period, over 85,000 papers had been put to a good second use.

But why did Erek use newspaper as his material of choice for this house? He explains:

“The material is a key, fundamental part of the project. It works in three ways. ‘News’ defines our era, ‘information technology’ is the dominating part of our existence. ‘Paper’ makes a direct relationship with our environment, and ‘house’ ties all the things together.”

Image: MC =)

When the installation showed up at the Blackie Arts Centre for Liverpool’s 5th Biennial in September, participants placed even more papers into the house. By the time the exhibition ended, the house had been stuffed with over 100,000 recycled papers.

Image: MC =)

You might think that with that many papers, construction is complete, but Erek hopes the opposite is true; he wants this house to be a continual ‘work-in-progress’, just like life:

“I would leave it unfinished if I could for people to be able to participate forever and ever.”

Filled with millions of messages and built on the sweat of the community, the Newspaper House makes a strong statement about the information age in which we live, the possibilities that exist when we work together and just how much meaning a house can hold.