A creative approach to waste Published on: 14 March 2017 A new art installation on Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s campus takes rubbish and puts it centre stage. Academic waste Helena Lacey has gathered the things thrown away at the University and has turned them into the artwork Academic Waste.The final year student has created three clear cylinders on stands which she has filled with broken glass to represent chemistry, paper to represent English and metal offcuts to represent engineering. The cylinders are placed around campus outside the , in the University Quad and in the Claremont quad.“I wanted to create something which showed students and staff the impact of the work that they do here every day,” said Helena. “I’m really interested in issues of sustainability and the environment and know that the University works really hard to meet its goals. But, I don’t think a lot of students have any idea of all the work that goes on around them to make this happen. Art has the power to change society Helena’s work is inspired by conceptual artist and politician Joseph Beuys who came up with the idea of social sculpture, where art has the power to change society. “I hoped by outing these recyclable materials on show in a very visible way, it would get people thinking about the impact of University life and what they can do to help," she said. Fine Art lecturer added: “This is an ambitious and large scale project that embodies the ways students work outside the Fine Art department developing the artistic and professional expertise they will need after graduation. Helena has worked very successfully with people from a wide range of disciplines demonstrating how an artist makes new connections and creates impact.” Getting the message across Helena worked closely with the team to find out more about what the University does.University Sustainability manager said: “As a university we produce large quantities of general waste on a daily basis, it is important that we minimize this and recycle as much as possible in order to reduce our overall environmental impact. The contribution that staff and students make is vital, and we want to encourage everyone to use the facilities on campus in order to increase our overall on-site recycling rates.“Helena’s sculpture really helps to get this message across.”Academic Waste was funded by the University’s and the Alumni Association Student Initiative Fund. It is launched on Wednesday, 15 March at 5pm in the University's Fine Art atrium and will be on display on campus until June. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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