Wooden chopsticks for coffee and art

There are art forms so amazing that it's impossible not to wonder how the idea came about. One such art is that made by Jonathan Brilliantfrom Raleigh, North Carolina. He makes huge sculptures out of wooden coffee stir sticks and assembles them without glue. How does he do it? He simply assembles them like fabric.

Candelabra made from coffee sticks

Most of us probably don't even think about the chopstick with which we stir our coffee. Once it's done its job, it's discarded without having even a moment's notice. With wooden chopsticks like these, Brilliant has created space art installations. The number of chopsticks used for each piece is in the tens of thousands.

Perhaps his most spectacular work is the one he did in 2007 in Sumter, South Carolina. It is built on two levels around a chandelier, making it look like a huge lampshade. Brilliant has produced a sculptural piece that starts upstairs, descends over the balcony and remains suspended around the chandelier. When the light is switched on, the effect of more than 60,000 wooden chopsticks woven together is impressive.

The whole project took just 14 days to complete. It was all done by hand-braiding the wooden sticks without using glue or tools. The whole structure was based solely on the tensile strength of the sticks used.

The work remained in the space for 6 months, after which it was dismantled and the materials donated to a local school.