Different ways you can use your Skip?

Who needs a Rolls Royce when you have a Skip?

A couple in Swindon, Nick Kearns and Noreen Quin, made the headlines back in December 2010 when they decided to make the journey to their wedding at the local registry office in a converted skip, presumably keen to make a statement opposing that of classy luxury suggested by the more conventional hiring of a rolls royce. Nick Kearns’ experience of his own skip hire company, Quicktime skips in Cricklade, enabled him to put into practice his idea of converting a skip into a wedding carriage. He emptied it of rubbish, painted it blue, had carpets, seats and seat-belts fitted as well as a door drop at the back. A transparent roof was also added. The whole conversion took about 2 and a half weeks. They even used the skip to ferry members of their wedding party to the reception afterwards.

Skips have also been used in other unusual ways. The designer, Oliver Bishop Young, has had empty skips converted into a skate park, a garden and even a swimming pool. In 2008 he presented an installation at the Greengaged sustainability event organised by the London Design Festival which consisted of a tree, turf and steps. Its purpose was to encourage a more widespread discussion about sustainable design. In 2012 the artist, David Bachelor, presented his art installation in Brighton consisting of a yellow skip with a glowing yellow trim. Its purpose was to comment on the commonplace sentiment that modern art is rubbish as well as trying to make the ordinary, extraordinary.

The use of imagination in all these examples is something valuable as it shows exciting possibilities in what appears to be mundane and what can, after all, be more mundane than a skip? The conversion of a skip into a wedding carriage seems particularly interesting as this was done not by a professional artist or designer searching for ideas to further their careers but out of love. Doubtless the free advertising for the skip hire company helped the couple’s finances but they were brave enough not to feel intimidated into doing what convention expected. It was an exciting day for the registry office which had never experienced anything like this before. Most of all, it ended up adding interest to the lives of the many who read about them as well as possibly suggesting that doing something unusual can make life less dull, more inspiring.