Sculpture Formed Out of Coffee Stirrers

Jonathan Brilliant makes a massive abstract sculpture out of what many of us mindlessly throw away after our morning joe. Displayed at the Conkling Gallery in Minnesota State University, The Mankato Piece is part of the Goldsworthy of the Coffee Shop Project where much like British artist Andy Goldsworthy, Brilliant took objects out of his chosen natural environment, the coffee shop, and made it his inspiration to create the undulating pieces. The installation artist from South Carolina weaved 40,000 of the 7 inch rounded coffee stirrers and 2,600 coffee cup sleeves without use of any adhesives and instead relied on pure tension to hold everything together. The customized piece was built to exist in the specific space it’s displayed in so viewers experience a unique sculpture at every one of his exhibits.