The other day, I mentioned how climbers were literally leaving tons of trash on Mount Everest. Even Sir Edmund Hillary admitted to leaving behind oxygen cylinders during his historic climb. Since most climbers require oxygen, cylinders are plentiful and usually left behind because climbers don’t want to carry the extra weight.
As I was doing research on this blog, I came across an interesting article about Jeff Clapp. Clapp is an artist and one thing is true of artists – you never know where their inspiration is going to come from.
For Clapp, an ice sculptor, it came from watching a documentary about the Mount Everest trash. He flew to Nepal in 2004 and bought 132 discarded oxygen cylinders from the Nepal Mountaineering Association for $7,000, then shipped them back to his home in Brunswick, Maine.
He has a basement workshop where he turns the oxygen cylinders into bells, bowls, and ornaments by stripping away the fiberglass to reach the oxidized aluminum beneath. Not one to waste, Clapp puts the shavings into glass balls for Christmas ornaments ($15). Bowls sell for between $500 and $1,500 while bells sell for $1,600 to $3,000. Clapp calls his art Bells from Everest and so far has sold 35 items.
While the work going in to this art can be time-consuming, Clapp says that he thinks customers enjoy having a piece of unique artwork, but also appreciate Clapp’s social awareness in using discarded items to make these beautiful items.
Clapp hopes to eventually travel to Nepal to teach local artisans how to make these items for themselves. “My ultimate goal of returning this project to Nepal is very exciting to me. When I first visualized creating this artwork, I was driven with the concept that it would be a benefit to others, specifically in Nepal,” he said.
Clapp hopes his art can inspire others not only to clean up trash and turn it into treasures, but know that just doing little things like turning off lights and using less gas can help make a difference.
(This image can be found on Jeff Clapp’s Bells From Everest web page)