From Switched -- "Central St. Martins grad Nick Gentry appropriates obsolete tech materials -- like floppy disks and VHS tape -- as the media for his paintings. As the world moves further away from these kinds of storage devices, Gentry suggests, we lose touch with the terrestrial. His work is nostalgic for a time when objects were less disposable, before "human existence [was] governed by billions of invisible data files," as he writes on his site."
He uses recycled materials such as computer disks, VHS tapes, floppy disks - incorporating them in the elements of his portraits, along with painting.

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Self portrait, Zac Freeman

Zac Freeman uses junk and trash to recycle it into astounding large assemblage portraits. Buttons, computer keyboards, bottle caps, Legos- you name it it, it's all in there. ( see detail below).

Link to Zac's site

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Taking an ordinary phone book, Alex Queral carves a face into this object of so many faceless names. With the book, a very sharp X-ACTO® knife, a little pot of acrylic medium to set detail areas and a great deal of talent, Queral literally peels away the pages like the skin of an onion to reveal the portrait within. Once the carving is complete, he will often apply a black wash to enhance the features and then seal the entire book with acrylic to preserve the work. However, he never loses the line registration; and the book remains quite pliable.

“It can be quite tense work sometimes because it takes a long time to finish and when you cut something away you can’t get it back again. Nearing the end of the carving and then suddenly having it ruined by a careless cut can be pretty crushing. You have to start all over again.” 

Sources: Projects Gallery, Flavorwire
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