gordon chandler’s kimonos

Gordon Chandler salvages metal from construction sites and the side of the road, turning the bits and pieces into art. These recycled steel drum kimonos have become his signature work. Chandler manages to make the rusty, battered metal look as regal and elegant as the finest silks used to make the real thing.

…after years of doing constructions and hiding the “found objects” in my work, I began to celebrate these components. The turning point was when my palette became the discarded shapes, textures and colors of the bits and pieces gathered from scrap yards and roadsides. I have a very practical bent – I use things of very little value and elevate them.