I wanted to create a piece of outdoor wall art that moved with the breeze and caught the sunlight beautifully. My first idea was to use the printed colours from recycled drink cans, but once I tested the panel outside, the colours didn’t reflect the light the way I hoped. The plain aluminium, however, looked incredible—bright, reflective, and full of movement. That’s when I flipped every disc to the silver side and the whole piece suddenly came to life.

This Instructable shows how I made my moving mosaic wall hanging using flattened aluminium cans, a large painted timber board, and nearly fifteen hundred hand-punched discs. The result is a shimmering piece of kinetic garden art that shifts, flickers, and rustles whenever the wind passes by.

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Materials Needed

1. Recycled aluminium drink cans (I used 72 cans)
2. Marine ply board (mine was 1200 × 930 mm)
3. Weather seal outdoor paint
4. Black outdoor acrylic paint
5. 1-inch hole punch
6. Scissors
7. Thick gloves for safety
8. Small brad nails
9. Drill and thin drill bit
10. Wood block
11. Clamps
12. Pencil and ruler
13. Keyhole bracket for hanging

Choose a board size that suits your space—mine measures 1200 × 930 mm.

Because the wall art lives outside, I used marine ply and sealed it with two coats of outdoor timber sealer. Once dry, I painted the front with black exterior acrylic paint. The black background makes the aluminium discs stand out dramatically once they’re attached.

To help keep rows straight, I marked 1-inch horizontal guide lines across the board. These aren’t visible later, but they make positioning a lot easier.

Working with aluminium cans can be sharp, so wear heavy gloves.

1. Pierce the can near the top with a knife.
2. Cut off the top, then slice down the side.
3. Remove the bottom of the can.
4. Open and flatten the aluminium sheet—rolling it backwards helps remove the curve.

Each can produces around 24 usable discs using a 1-inch punch, so depending on your board size, gather plenty of cans. My project needed 1,495 discs, which worked out to 72 cans.

Once the sheets are flat, use a 1-inch hole punch to cut out the discs.

I found the easiest method was to punch a ring of circles around the outer edge of the sheet first, cut away the punched area, and then work through the centre section. This produced consistent discs and reduced waste.

The punch I used slightly curves each disc as it cuts, creating a small natural bow. This tiny curve helps the wind grab the discs more easily and increases the shimmering effect once the piece is assembled.

To drill holes neatly and speed up the process:

1. Stack a small pile of discs.
2. Clamp them tightly between two pieces of wood.
3. Place the stack on a timber block.
4. Use a thin drill bit to make the nail hole near the edge of the discs.

Use one completed disc as a template so the holes line up consistently across the entire project.

Before drilling all the discs, check your nail size—brad nails work extremely well because their tiny heads don’t distract from the reflective surface.

Start in the centre of the board. Working outward reduces the chance of scraping your arms across previously hammered nails.

Place the first disc on a guideline, line up the drilled hole, and lightly tap in a brad nail. Because Brad nails are thin, they usually go in without pre-drilling.

Continue row by row.

When the bottom section is complete, rotate the board and repeat the process on the top half. I chose small brad nails because the tiny nail heads are barely visible. Large nail heads tend to distract from the shimmering effect.

Important Note:

This was the stage when I decided to flip all the coloured discs so the silver side faced forward. It added about 2 extra hours of work, but the silver reflects the sunlight far better than the printed colours and makes the final installation look much more dynamic.

Attach a keyhole bracket or other strong outdoor hardware to the back of the board.

Mount the finished piece on a wall, fence, or garden structure where it can catch the wind.

When the breeze moves through the discs, the whole artwork ripples and flashes like water. The soft metallic sound is surprisingly calming, especially in the late afternoon when the light is low and warm. This project can be adapted to add different shapes and colours for a different look. The project's possibilities can be expanded by adapting different shapes and colours to achieve a distinct look.

You can find more great projects using recycled aluminium cans on my website, Unique Creations By Anita.