City of Westminster College year two Graphic Design student Zina Ali, 22, has found a novel way of giving old newspapers a new lease of life – turning them into Metro Seats.
Zina, who lives in Ladbroke Grove, created a chair and a sofa – mostly from copies of Metro and London Evening Standard – as part of the College’s annual art exhibition Untitled ‘10. She says her inspiration lay all around her: “Every day I see lots of newspapers and magazines and I tried to work out the best way to recycle them. Then I came up with the idea of making furniture.”
It took Zina two weeks to make both the Metro chair and sofa. The chair is made of 110 newspapers and the sofa is constructed out of 420 papers. They are surprisingly comfortable and very sturdy. Zina says: “Anyone can sit on them – from children up to large adults.”
Zina, who begins her degree at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in September, has been so inspired by recycling as art that she is hoping to come up with other grand designs, including newspaper sculptures. In the meantime, she has produced a leaflet to explain the construction technique she used for her Metro Seats – an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to refurbish their living room on a budget.
The sofa and chair can be seen today and tomorrow as part of City of Westminster College’s annual art show Untitled ’10. The show brings together work by students on art, media, textile, graphic design, photography and e-media courses.
* Untitled ’10, The F Block, City of Westminster College, Paddington Basin Campus, North Wharf Road, London W2 1LF. Thursday 27 May-Friday 28 May 10am-5pm. Entry Free.