Drink. Rinse. Stick. Repeat.
Can Wallpaper started when I was around 15 or 16, back in the late 80s and early 90s. I drank a lot of soda—especially Wild Cherry Pepsi—and the empty cans began to stack up. At first, they were just clutter, but eventually I started washing them and stacking them against my bedroom walls. It evolved into a kind of 3D wallpaper made entirely of soda cans.
I used double-sided foam tape to secure them and built patterns around posters, doorways, and furniture. Every visible patch of wall was soon wrapped in metallic can art. Different brands and flavors created textures, and the whole thing felt oddly immersive—colorful, geeky, and very personal.
Of course, being me, I took it further. I hacked apart an old telephone and embedded the microphone and speaker into two connected soda cans. With some brackets and wiring, I created a fully functional wall-mounted can phone—complete with RJ45 plug and everything.
It was ridiculous. It was brilliant. It was peak 90s teenage nerdcore—and one of the first physical art installations I ever made. Somewhere, there are pictures. Someday I’ll dig them up.
