Mark Making

Metallic Imprints

By Nina Persi, posted on Jan 10, 2022

After visiting Haiti twice to take photos for my BFA senior show, I fell in love with the people, culture, and vibrant art of the Haitians. One of the art forms that I absolutely adore is Haitian metal art—truly the definition of upcycling. Beautiful, intricate art is made by flattening and cutting old steel drums and creating designs in the metal with chisels and ball-peen hammers. Texture on the front and back of the metal is then added with chisels and awls of various sizes. Because of the sporadic availability of electricity in most areas of Haiti, power tools are not used.

View this article in the digital edition.