Danielle Krysa

feel the need to make things by hand again, to physically touch and create something outside of their day-to-day digital lives.

Mass-produced goods can be perceived as somewhat heartless and ordinary, whereas the satisfaction of creating something with one’s own hands is priceless.

welcome challenge—the removal of a thing from its original context, giving it a new life and meaning.

Generally the actual making of a collage is a quick process—the groundwork of searching and collecting materials having already been put in place. I thrive on the adventure of the search for new paper goods to use, religiously visiting secondhand shops and flea markets as well as constantly checking for interesting scraps on the streets or in rubbish bins. There is the sense of regeneration

I like to think that I’m giving it a second chance to shine instead of just becoming more landfill.

Collage is cheap and accessible to everybody. You don’t need any fancy equipment or a workshop full of tools—every household has a pair of scissors and some glue or adhesive tape. All you need is some inspiration and off you go—cutting, tearing, and sticking.

The traditional handmade collage has its own identity and ethics, totally opposed to the infinite possibilities of digital, but this is where the true value is—the challenge of finding opportunities and achieving functionality within the constraints. I combine nature, people, and objects only in order to transmit more complex emotions, thoughts, and feelings.

This work is often derived from my own photographs and from mapping systems and architectural schematics.

n fascinated with items from previous generations, especially ephemera. Letters, textbooks, little notes, and journals carry so much of a previous life

Each graphite scribble is a treasure to me and I want to bring life back into the material that I use instead of letting it stay hidden, crumbling away.