Three musicians make music out of trash
An empty can, an old lamp and some ropes... In Istanbul, three musicians use what they can from discarded waste to make musical instruments to raise awareness of the importance of recycling in a country hit by several natural disasters in 2021.
"When we started, we never imagined getting that sound," says Roni Aran, one of the group's members who started making musical instruments out of trash in 2019.
"We were all surprised by the result, as was our audience," adds Rooney, who plays multiple instruments in the group's studio in a neighborhood of Istanbul.
The group Fang Istanbul calls its music, which is a mixture of traditional music and funk, "Trash Oriental".
Its arrival on the music scene coincides with growing environmental concerns among the Turkish population, especially the young.
Awareness of the environmental crisis has increased this year due to deadly floods and wildfires that have reduced 200,000 hectares of forest, more than five times the annual average, to ash.
Rooney and his two friends, all professional musicians, say that with their music they want to promote "recycling," the giving of a second life to items or clothes that were destined for landfill.
"I found it near a dump. Luckily it was clean," Rooney points to a large white plastic package that has been turned into a sound box.
"No matter how primitive it is, there is technology behind all these tools," he continues.
Turning waste into effective musical instruments takes time and imagination.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news