EcoLocalizer

What’s the opposite of one of those formaldehyde-reeking FEMA trailers so many Katrina victims had to live in — and get sick in — for months and months? Check out New York artist Paul Villinski’s “Emergency Response Studio,” a solar-powered, refurbished, non-toxic and self-sufficient artist’s studio on wheels.

Set to go on display Nov. 1 as part of the Prospect.1 New Orleans art show, Villlinski’s trailer is a mobile testament to his mission of transforming trash into objects of beauty or functionality (he’s also created butterfly sculptures out of old beer cans and LPs, and wings, jackets, blankets and bags out of lost gloves).

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Villinski created his sustainable mobile studio after deciding to travel to New Orleans to view the post-Katrina devastation and create works of art based on what he saw. While he wasn’t able to buy an actual FEMA trailer, he did find a government trailer on sale for $5,015 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. And then he reinvented the trailer in ways that left the old vehicle all but unrecognizable.

Out went the toxic interior materials and in went recycled wood framing, bamboo cabinets and recycled denim insulation, as well as a 1.6-kilowatt solar array, a micro wind turbine and a recycled Kevlar awning that can both provide shade or collect rainwater.

“The trailer is designed for use in post-disaster or ‘emergency’ settings to house displaced or visiting artists, enabling them to immerse themselves and chronicle unfolding events,” according to Villinski’s Website.

Even before the Prospect.1 New Orleans show opens, Villinski’s trailer has created quite a stir. In fact, you can’t learn more about the Emergency Response Studio from its Website because it’s generated too much traffic. But you can read more about the trailer at Inhabitat, which also features a neat collection of photos so you can see exactly how Villinski transformed the vehicle.

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