Project R - WASTE AGE Exhibition

Visiting the waste age exhibition was truly a such a big inspiration.

It was so interesting to see how artists and designers were re-using materials in response to the ever-growing issue of waste.

I thought the change in mood as you walked around the exhibition was extremely interesting and clever.

The exhibition began in quite a bleak way:

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This was the beginning of the exhibition which showed the adoption of plastic as an everyday material. This historical part was very useful as it gave context to what we would see.

It then went on to show the environmental impacts of using plastic and other materials in a gloomy timeline. at this point I agreed with my peers that we all felt rather down. The whole thing made us face what we already knew but is ignored by so many.

However in the next part of the exhibition the mood completely changed:

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As we walked into a large room filled with work I was shocked by how colourful and inviting it was. These artists and designers are making amazing things out of recycled materials and/or reduce environmental damage. The wide range of products on show was astounding and really inspiring to me. The fact we had also just been shown all these awful facts and figures about waste, climate change and pollution made this work all the more exciting.

The first part of the exhibition that I want to mention in detail is The information in Kamikatsu, which is a small village in Japan that made a Zero-waste declaration back in 2003.

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I thought it was amazing that they had a 45-catagory system of organising waste. I think the illustrative artwork on the signage is also very endearing and fun, which I think is really important in order to tackle this issue.

I did more research on this and found images of the Kamikatsu zero waste centre designed by architect Hiroshi Nakamura.

"Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center embodies the principle of Zero Waste as an earth-friendly complex facility that adds the functions of education, research and communication to a waste-sorting treatment plant, aiming to recreate community and develop the region," Nakamura explained.

The building is horeshoe-shaped HOTEL

The centre itself is built suing recycled and reused materials, such as the windows that were donated by the local community. Furthermore, when reading a Dezeen article I discovered: " The studio used computer software to generate a pattern for the various windows". I think this is such a great use of modern technology, as It helped to create something with low environmental impact. I think this way of thinking is super important and something I would like to adopt in my own work.

Interior view of a hotel room at Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center The windows at Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center glow at night

I think it's amazing that such a place has been created and is used to teach other's about the importance of minimising waste, which was integral to building the structure itself. It truly embodies the "practise what you preach" mentality. I would love to take inspiration from this project, especially the beautifully mismatched windows and create something using scraps of different materials in the future.

The next work that I found to be particularly interesting was that of Celia Pym. The exhibition featured her "Mended Bags" pictured below:

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Left to Right: Pym, C. (2021). Mended Bread Bag. [paper bag, wool and cotton.] & Pym, C. (2021). Mended Tomato Bag. [paper bag, wool and cotton.], Pym, C. (2021). Mended Mushroom Bag. [paper bag, wool and cotton.].

In the description on display with the artworks it explains:

"Celia Pym practises visible repairing, a process that draws attention to the wear and tear sustained by our clothes. This exposes the past life of the piece and the person who wore it. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Pym turned from repairing clothes to repairing the paper bags of her daily grocery shopping. Careful darning gives each bag a new and different life."

I thought the idea of mending something disposable and turning it into something beautiful was an amazing idea. I had a similar mindset and outcome with my multiples project when i turned disposable cloth into an accessory using stitching.

I think Pym's work is really beautiful and interesting as it gives value to something so mundane.

I did some more research and found some of Pym's work using clothing items, as mentioned in the museum description.

Left to Right: Pym, C. (2010). Darn Socks. [sports socks and yarn], Pym, C. (2011). Hope’s Sweater, 1951. [moth eaten sweater and darning].

I think Pym's work with clothing is amazing and the repair really adds to the overall look of each garment. The pieces are unique and hint to the life of the owner.

Overall, my experience at the design museum was truly inspiring and made me want to consider sustainability a lot more in my future projects.

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