How many times have you looked at useless, outdated items and thought ” Wow that could be a piece of artwork”. If you’re like myself the answer is never, however that’s what separates myself from the talented Erika Iris Simmons. The  New Jersey based artist decided to step outside the box,  turning items that can be found in any thrift store into  visually stimulating pieces of art.

The collection that caught my eye was her “Ghost in the Machine.” In this collection Erika Iris Simmons uses the 80′s audio format of choice, cassette tapes, and transforms them into portraits of musical icons.  The collection covers everyone from Madonna to Bob Marley to Kurt Cobain and is down right neat. When asked about what inspired her to go on her cassette reformation journey Erika Iris Simmons said:

“At the time I was waiting tables at Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, FL.  I was a cocktail waitress in the VIP lounge, which is Jimi Hendrix themed. I think staring at music memorabilia all day probably soaked my brain with that vibe. One day as I was leaving to go to work I saw a pile of cassette tapes laying on top of a canvas I had set near my door. I thought, “What ghosts could be hiding in those machines?”  I pulled out the ribbon and tried to work with it, making some writing. I watched the ribbon curl up and it reminded me of Jimi Hendrix’s crazy hair, so that was the first portrait I made.  I had never sold a piece of artwork. But selling was never that important… discovering is the fun part. “

Here are a few of our favorites: