A man from Ivory Coast has found a creative way to repurpose footwear that washes up on the beach -- he turns it into artwork. Aristide Kouame is a 26-year-old artist. But he says no one would know this when they see him going around beach areas picking up flip-flops and other kinds of footwear. They probably think he is gathering the old objects to sell on the street. But Kouame has recognized the real value of such waste. He has created works of art from the material that can sell for up to $1,000. He cuts the rubber and plastic bottoms from the footwear into pieces and uses them to create large collages. This is the rubbish people have thrown into the sea and the sea brings it back to us because it doesn't want it, Kouame told Reuters news agency. He was collecting material from a beach in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital. I make art from used shoes… It's a way to give life to the objects that litter the beaches, the artist explained. Sitting on the floor of a narrow street, Kouame creates shapes, letters and faces with the rubber pieces he picked up on the beach. He even makes his own paint by crushing the material into pieces to create a colored pigment. His method is not costly and does not harm the environment. Plastic and other waste -- including large amounts of lost flip-flops -- litter most city beaches in West Africa. The waste is thrown away in cities and carried out to sea. But a lot of it ends up on the beach later.
Title: Ivory Coast Man Turns Old Flip-Flops into Artwork
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Ivory Coast Man Turns Old Flip-Flops into Artwork' data-article-id='5845'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='15354'>A man from Ivory Coast has found a creative way to repurpose footwear that washes up on the beach -- he turns it into artwork.</span> <span data-start-time='15354' data-end-time='21292'>Aristide Kouame is a 26-year-old artist. </span> <span data-start-time='21292' data-end-time='34063'>But he says no one would know this when they see him going around beach areas picking up flip-flops and other kinds of footwear. </span> <span data-start-time='34063' data-end-time='41521'>They probably think he is gathering the old objects to sell on the street.</span> <span data-start-time='41521' data-end-time='48313'>But Kouame has recognized the real value of such waste. </span> <span data-start-time='48313' data-end-time='57646'>He has created works of art from the material that can sell for up to $1,000. </span> <span data-start-time='57646' data-end-time='69083'>He cuts the rubber and plastic bottoms from the footwear into pieces and uses them to create large collages.</span> <span data-start-time='69083' data-end-time='83146'>This is the rubbish people have thrown into the sea and the sea brings it back to us because it doesn't want it, Kouame told Reuters news agency.</span> <span data-start-time='83146' data-end-time='92042'>He was collecting material from a beach in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital.</span> <span data-start-time='92042' data-end-time='104208'>I make art from used shoes… It's a way to give life to the objects that litter the beaches, the artist explained.</span> <span data-start-time='104208' data-end-time='116938'>Sitting on the floor of a narrow street, Kouame creates shapes, letters and faces with the rubber pieces he picked up on the beach. </span> <span data-start-time='116938' data-end-time='126458'>He even makes his own paint by crushing the material into pieces to create a colored pigment.</span> <span data-start-time='126458' data-end-time='133188'>His method is not costly and does not harm the environment.</span> <span data-start-time='133188' data-end-time='145083'>Plastic and other waste -- including large amounts of lost flip-flops -- litter most city beaches in West Africa. </span> <span data-start-time='145083' data-end-time='151771'>The waste is thrown away in cities and carried out to sea. </span> <span data-start-time='151771' data-end-time='155875'>But a lot of it ends up on the beach later.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17970 data-hint-location='21292' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/what_are_flipflops.wav'>What are flip-flops?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a light sandal, typically of plastic or rubber, with a thong between the big and second toe'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/the_game_played_with_domino_pieces.wav'><span>the game played with domino pieces</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/a_sound_system_typically_including_a_cd_tape_or_record_player_that_has_two_or_more_speakers_and_produces_stereo_sound.wav'><span>a sound system, typically including a CD, tape, or record player, that has two or more speakers and produces stereo sound</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/a_light_sandal_typically_of_plastic_or_rubber_with_a_thong_between_the_big_and_second_toe.wav'><span>a light sandal, typically of plastic or rubber, with a thong between the big and second toe</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/danger_of_loss_harm_or_failure.wav'><span>danger of loss, harm, or failure</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17971 data-hint-location='83146' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/what_is_the_economic_capital_of_ivory_coast.wav'>What is the economic capital of Ivory Coast?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Abidjan'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/abidjan.wav'><span>Abidjan</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/dakar.wav'><span>Dakar</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/san_pedro.wav'><span>San Pedro</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/lagos.wav'><span>Lagos</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17972 data-hint-location='145083' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/the_waste_is_thrown_away_in_cities_and_carried_out_to__blank__.wav'>The waste is thrown away in cities and carried out to <span class='blank'>sea</span>. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='sea'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/sea.wav'><span>sea</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/lamb.wav'><span>lamb</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5291/upper.wav'><span>upper</span></div><div class='choice' 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