PET plastic bottles get a second life as chandeliers

Czech artist Veronika Richterová finds a new use for plastic PET bottle waste—by turning them into otherworldly chandeliers in her series, PET luminaries.

Richterová is inspired by the way plastic bottles interact with light. At a distance, her creations resemble Murano glass chandeliers, with delicate petal appliques, scalloping, and perforated detailing. This glass-like effect is achieved by snipping, twisting, and heating the bottles.

All the lamps and chandeliers in PET luminaries are fully-functioning. The heat-sensitive sculptures are made with bulbs and cables that produce minimal heat.

PET plastic is notoriously bad for the environment, as it’s enduring. The chandeliers make a powerful statement by transforming plastic whose use lasts a relatively short period of time (generally, the time it takes for a two liter beverage to be consumed) into something that resembles a luxury item—an item people would cherish and display for a long time.

Richterová also used PET plastic in her previous work—PET-ART—which features animal and plant sculptures.

You can view some of Richterová’s plastic chandeliers in person at the 50-artist exhibition Eden Unearthed at Sydney’s Eden Gardens. It runs through February 2018.