Upcycled video tape

Evelyn, once dubbed Canada's 'Recycle Queen', has been upcycling rejected media for almost fifty years. Evelyn collects disused VHS tape from television and film studios then hand crochets the tape into practical uses, like car cozies, water tank cozies, and even fashion.

In 1972, Evelyn drove her car in a snug video cozy from Vancouver to St. Johns, Newfoundland, on her first Canada Council Arts Grant. In each capital city in Canada, TV stations recorded Evelyn's recycling video tape events.

In 1973, the Vancouver Art Gallery's entrance was draped by a huge 100 foot video tape canopy. Sixteen television stations in the Pacific Northwest donated their reject tape to have Evelyn make a canopy shade for the BC Pavillion at the Spokane Expo.

In 1974, wearing a video tape body armor, Evelyn won a federal income tax battle, making front page news.

The Evelyn Roth Recycling Book was published by Talon Books in 1975.

The simple technique of finger crochet has been Evelyn's main cross cultural link. When Evelyn taught women and children in the outback of Australia to make shade canapes, baskets and hats from local TV stations she in turn earned their trust and was able to record their ancient rituals.

Evelyn has since taken the documentation of her world journeys and more CBC video tape globally, with highlights including an exhibition at the Museu De Arte Contemporanea Da Universidade De Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Rio's Environmental Conference and the Winter Festival in Belo Horizonte.

In an effort to keep TV stations' thousands of miles of unused video tape out of landfill or from being burned into the atmosphere, Evelyn today continues her legacy of upcycling tape, holding workshops teaching children and seniors how to crochet the tape into uses that meet practical needs for home and community gardens.

Evelyn recently worked with children in the Maslin Beach community to create a crochet kelp curtain, which featured as part of her huge Nylon Zoo coral reef interactive installation at Womadelaide 2018.