S.O.S. Which means “help, we’re about to be submerged with waste” – or more literally “Supercycle Our Souls”, the title of an exhibition that Australian design collective Supercyclers is currently holding at Ventura Lambrate ( part of The Milan Public Design Festival )
Supercyclers, from Australia, are presenting a collection of designers that have created work that ‘up-cycles’ old, used or under appreciated materials. “Supercyclers’ designs are beautiful designs created from waste products
Who are Supercyclers ? – They are “serial recyclers” who take things that are no longer being used and, instead of throwing them into the garbage, make something beautiful and useful out of them – so beautiful and useful that you will pay good money just to have it back. The result is a series of very unique objects.
The Supercyclers website is devoted to unearthing the best supercyclers on the planet so that you can either get hold of their products or be inspired to make your own version
“It’s a delicate balancing act to be creatively driven to produce stuff but also to be mindful of the environment and the fact that there is too much stuff already”, says Sarah K. from Sydney. “Supercyclers begin and end the design process with this in mind”
Supercyclers wants to tackle issues like the plastic mess we’ve made in our oceans by changing perceptions about waste and what we do with it… in fact we want to make what you might have once thrown in the garbage look so beautiful and be so useful that you will now pay good money just to have it back – or take on some of our ideas and Do It Yourself.
Sarah King & Liane Rossler
Liane Rossler and myself, Sarah K (also known as the original supercylers) have created works from the demon single use plastic bag. Since we launched our first objects in Milan last year we have exhibited new variations in Bruxelles and Amsterdam and we’ve made a brand new “transparent” collection for Milan including utensils and little puffball lights
Mark Vaarwerk
Mark Vaarwerk finds polystyrene boxes in the lanes behind restaurants and turns them into covetable little boxes with a technique he calls ‘unexpanding’.
Pictured is one of his unexpanded brooches – he’s uses discarded materials to give his work colour also, in this case cigarette butts he has found on the way to work, tint the brooch – sounds disgusting – but looks and feels amazing.
Ontwerplabel ViJ5
ViJ5 from Eihdhoven who have created the amazing Newspaper Wood. Layers and layers of old newspapers are bonded together to form a strong new product that when cut has a grain very similar to wood – but groovier -and they are making some new furniture for our exhibition…Dutch designers Vij5 who have released their well received ‘Framed’ cabinet by Breg Hanssen from last year in a new pastel pink frame. The ‘wood’ panels are made from compressed newspaper.
Blakebrough+King
Blakebrough+King’s dining chair revitlizing discarded broom handles and garden tools
Ett la Benn
Ett la Benn have developed a technique of air drying cellulose that they use to create their beautiful pots and lights – it is pretty close to zero emissions in production and is 100% biodegradable.
Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson’s ‘A- joint’ table system was used to great effect with a found piece of broken marble and some wood scavenged from other exhibitors.
Tamara Maynes
Tamara Maynes has made a light-template which you can make yourself from your own junk – she provides you with the template and instructions…best way to see more about us is to jump onto www.supercyclers.com and check out what’s there.
Andrew Simpson
Andrew Simpson has made the most beautiful blue and clear glass vase from a recycled solar panel and is working on a portable machine for breaking down ocean plastic onsite so that new items can be made – that will biodegrade!
Post Fossil
Post Fossil are a collective of designers who create and produce objects for the home in the context of the resources problematic and in light of the post- fossil era
A two-way mirror with additional roles, to “emphasize the material… and on the other hand emphasize that appearances are important, but are not everything.
Its not just about the products – its about sharing these ideas – collective production!
