Red Bull gives you wings

Albert Einstein once said, "Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere" - in the case of these set of creative minds, they took the flight of imagination from recycling cans into carnival finery.

The recently concluded Red Bull Art of Can/Art of Carnival competition oozed creative juices, which centred on creating costumes using Red Bull cans as the primary material.

Jodi Taylor wears Nicolette Answer's carnival costume

Nicolette Answer and Traci Wong, students of Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Kingston, recalled that their mission was to get as many cans as possible.

"I used to stay back at the school parties and collect Red Bull cans," said Answer. "I started to cut up (the cans) and experimented with how I would put them together as a costume."

Answer themed her costume around Red Bull's tagline - 'Red Bull gives you wings' - incorporated art and engineering by creating a wide-span wing design that soared to the first prize.

"It was a rush to collect Red Bull cans," said Wong, who collaborated with colleague DJet Layne, to create the second prize-winning costume. Armed with a bag full of cans, they set out to recreate the carnival oomph.

"I am majoring in sculpting, so my focal point was the headgear, which incorporated the elements of the sculpting," said Wong.

Traci Wong's impressive Art of Carnival headpiece.

The two artists said that it was easy to work with the Red Bull cans as they are thin and could be easily cut into desired shapes - much like fabric.

Answer's creation was extensive and elaborate, a Red Bull cooler inspired the back piece strapped over a padded bag, connected wings spanning more than six feet; while Wong and Layne cut the cans into subtle frills for their warrior-themed costume.

MORE THAN 300 CANS

Between Answer and Wong, they used more than 300 cans for their costumes. "It was a treasure hunt (to source the cans)," Wong said.

The Red Bull Art of Can competition was designed to inspire creativity through the creation of masterpieces. Conceptualised in Europe in 1999, the competition has been held all around the globe in Prague, Zurich, Dubai, Amsterdam and New Zealand and has inspired artists in countries such as Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the USA to create their own aluminum artworks.

Traci Wong's warrior-themed carnival costume which won the second prize

Making its debut in 2009 in Jamaica, the competition's aim is to give designers a free flight of their imagination, which has resulted in creation of boats, planes, houses, the Red Bull Mini and even a smoking Rasta Man made from Red Bull cans.
The flight of creativity soared this year with couture being popped out of the cans. "It was all about creating an illusion, of using metal as a fabric and we were able to do so," said Wong.

"Overall, the competition did what it set out to do," said a communiqué from Red Bull. "Awe the audience, while giving students a voice, and for that we can expect much more from this innovate way of designing."

amitabh.sharma@hotmail.com

Published March 31, 2013 - The Sunday Gleaner

Nicolette Answer (left) with Traci Wong