This year’s Upcycle.17 exhibition opening on First Friday at the East Hawaii Cultural Center in Hilo is an invitation for new concepts in repurposed materials, juried by Mexican artist Mariana Acosta Contreras.

“As humans we live in a world full of ‘things,’” Contreras said. “There are so many objects surrounding us that overshadow our sense of uniqueness and our ability to marvel at the world as it vanishes in our everyday routine.

“The extraordinary happens, if only we commit ourselves to see it through.”

The legacy of upcycle art began at the EHCC with well-known Volcano artist Ira Ono, who spawned the tradition in Hilo, which he called “trash art” 30 years ago. Before moving to Hawaii from the East Coast, he worked as a professional dancer and choreographer.

“I would use all manner of props for my dance pieces,” Ono said. “Throughout that journey I would always create costumes and props made out of recycled materials.”

This year’s exhibit includes three categories: aesthetical, functional and conceptual.

The exhibition opens at 5:30 p.m. with an upcycled-sculpture dance performance in the gallery. “Phoenix” is a modern dance piece with upcycled costumes and story created by local artist and educator Monika Mann.

The dance is choreographed and performed by University of Hawaii at Hilo psychology professor Dr. Trina Nahm-Mijo, Jeong Ha Kim, a visiting dancer from South Korea, and UH-Hilo student Leilani VisikoKnox-Johnson. It is a post-apocalyptic commentary on renewal and rebirth.

The gallery will include works from Contreras, her students from the Universidad Gestalt de Diseno in Mexico, as well as international and Big Island artists. The show continues through Nov. 24. The East Hawaii Cultural Center is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.ehcc.org.

This year’s Upcycle.17 exhibition opening on First Friday at the East Hawaii Cultural Center in Hilo is an invitation for new concepts in repurposed materials, juried by Mexican artist Mariana Acosta Contreras.

“As humans we live in a world full of ‘things,’” Contreras said. “There are so many objects surrounding us that overshadow our sense of uniqueness and our ability to marvel at the world as it vanishes in our everyday routine.

“The extraordinary happens, if only we commit ourselves to see it through.”

The legacy of upcycle art began at the EHCC with well-known Volcano artist Ira Ono, who spawned the tradition in Hilo, which he called “trash art” 30 years ago. Before moving to Hawaii from the East Coast, he worked as a professional dancer and choreographer.

“I would use all manner of props for my dance pieces,” Ono said. “Throughout that journey I would always create costumes and props made out of recycled materials.”

This year’s exhibit includes three categories: aesthetical, functional and conceptual.

The exhibition opens at 5:30 p.m. with an upcycled-sculpture dance performance in the gallery. “Phoenix” is a modern dance piece with upcycled costumes and story created by local artist and educator Monika Mann.

The dance is choreographed and performed by University of Hawaii at Hilo psychology professor Dr. Trina Nahm-Mijo, Jeong Ha Kim, a visiting dancer from South Korea, and UH-Hilo student Leilani VisikoKnox-Johnson. It is a post-apocalyptic commentary on renewal and rebirth.

The gallery will include works from Contreras, her students from the Universidad Gestalt de Diseno in Mexico, as well as international and Big Island artists. The show continues through Nov. 24. The East Hawaii Cultural Center is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.ehcc.org.