toilet roll cutouts anastassia elias paper art

Toil paper rolls … every home has them, but artist Anastassia Elias put in the time and effort to turn these ordinary, dull-brown & disposable cardboard tubes into delicate and precise works of creative recycled craft. But be careful of paper cuts!

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toilet roll cutouts anastassia elias
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Each piece has to be carefully cut from inside so as not to disturb the exterior of the roll – an almost absurdly gentle approach to one of the most commonplace waste materials on the planet … yet somehow reminiscent of the ancient art of painting inside of blown-glass balls, which had only the smallest of openings on one side.

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The scenes are intentionally domestic, a subtle reference to the source material (itself of modest and simple origins). People are shown idling at home or sitting, bored, in the midst of a meeting or classroom setting. While unlikely to make the rounds in high society or at gallery openings, these do go to show just how something as simple as a toilet paper roll can become the basis of an impressive personal arts & crafts project.

Anastassia’s take on the traditional craft of paper art is a unique one, for sure. Though others have recycled toilet paper rolls into cardboard art, these have an extra level of polish and craftsmanship that elevate them above the rest. The fact that they’re made of upcycled materials just gives them a little something beyond the norm. Anastassia is also an illustrator, and her work has appeared in many French-language books as well as other projects.

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If you love this fun collection of cardboard cut-out paper art sculptures, you can grab a book featuring images of them at Blurb.

“This 42-page book presents 67 scrolls, paper sculptures, produced by Anastassia Elias between 2009 and 2012. The book contains 157 photos and 28 sketches. Dimensions of the book: 17 × 17 cm, thickness 3 mm. Language: French, English.”