El Anatsui Upcycles Bottle Caps into Gorgeous, Glittering Tapestries

The glittering multi-colored murals by <a href="http://www.jackshainman.com/artist-image1339.html" target="_blank">El Anatsui</a> may look like they are made of precious metals, but take a closer look and you’ll recognize that the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/new-post-submission-299/" target="_blank">mosaic bits</a> are <a href="http://inhabitat.com/astounding-chuck-close-inspired-recycled-bottle-cap-portrait-by-mary-ellen-croteau/" target="_blank">recycled bottle caps</a>! Working on a massive scale, the Nigeria-based artist has covered building facades with his rich tapestries made from disused bottle caps, remnant metals and wire. Anatsui sources bottle caps and seals from alcoholic drinks, many which he finds in garbage dumps near Nigerian distilleries.

When Anatsui learned that Nigerian liquor companies throw out the seals and bottle caps when refilling liquor bottles, the artist struck a deal for a steady source of materials.

After collecting the pieces from the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/whiskey-to-energy-project-in-scotland-gets-the-green-light-for-construction/" target="_blank">distillery</a>, the artists and his assistants begin flattening the stock of bottle caps, into colorful and thin strips.

The strips are then sorted by color and shape. Using thin cooper wire, the artist begins the process of stringing the aluminum <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/will-rymans-epic-installations-are-made-from-thousands-of-bottle-caps-and-paint-brushes/" target="_blank">bottle cap pieces</a> together.

The massive installations can take up to two months to complete, with meticulous wiring and bending for each of the colors and patterns added to the fabric.

The resulting pieces sparkle in full color- golds, reds, and green fragments shimmer off one another. Only when examined closely do the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/dutch-sculptor-diederick-kraaijeveld-turns-scrap-wood-into-rolling-art/" target="_blank">mosaic elements</a> betray their original use, when logos and words are visible.

Anatsui’s pieces have covered walls inside galleries, but also have been made large enough to cover the front of buildings such as the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin and le Palais de Tokyo in Paris.