Repurpose and Upcycle Driven Design
Basic information
Project Title
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Project Description
Todays economic system is based on over consumption. We are buying more then we can take care of, which result in loads of waste. Waste that includes a lot of valuable resources. These resources are the main driver for this project, namely chairs that have been thrown away. Chairs are a product that people use in their daily life, but how can chairs be a tool to design in a new way? This concept explores how we can rethink the way we use chairs, by upcycle the product and repurpose the material.
Geographical Scope
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Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
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Description of the project
Summary
I am currently doing my Master Thesis at Linköping University together with ReTuna Recycling mall, the world's first upcycling mall located in Eskilstuna Sweden. The project is about understanding and finding how more of the material and products that are coming into the Recycling mall can be taken care of, instead of going to recycling. According to circular economy theory, the best thing is to stay in the inner loops and take care of the products that are already produced in different ways. After studying the material flow and challenges at ReTuna Recycling mall, I decided to focus on chairs, since that is the products that are coming in to ReTuna in highest volume and the products that going to the recycling station in the highest volume. From the recycling stations the chairs are either going to incineration or to material recycling. In these two steps we are ending the products life cycle and losing a lot of value. My concept is about exploring how chairs can be upcycled in different ways and how the material from worn out or broken chairs can be repurposed. This will be done by organising workshops and pop-up event at ReTuna Recycling mall this spring, 2022. I call the pop-up Share / Chair, since it is about sharing knowledge and opinions with others, and with chairs as a frame for the project to gather around.
Key objectives for sustainability
To create more awareness and a shifting mindset within design and consumption, we need to explore ways to use what already exist in different ways, together! And that is what this project is all about. When doing things with our own hands and seeing the value with our own eyes in different products things are happening in our minds. Creativity is growing and new connections between people are created. Instead of burning valuable sources, as wood, textile and screws that mostly chairs includes, we can find new ways of taking care of it in this concept Share / Chair.
Even if a lot of the products coming in to ReTuna are being taken care of, there are much going to waste, since the inflow of donated products are bigger than the outflow of the products that being sold in the second-hand stores. And imagine how much that are going to waste in other municipalities where they don't have any Recycling mall. I want to expand this concept to other regions, starting in Sweden.
Connected to the concept, one of the objectives is to find new streams for the materials from the chairs that can't be used in the specific current context. For example, explore and understand how the upholstery in the an old or broken chair can be used in another industry or in reparation of other furniture.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The main objective with this concept is to explore the aesthetics together with other people and create a new version of a chair as a starting point.
Some of the objectives in the project is to formulate Design Guidelines on how the material can be repurposed and how chairs can easily be upcycled. This is the main aesthetic part of the project, where the quality of the product is the driver to keep the chair in the loop, by using craft techniques and increase the aesthetic value in it.
This will create discussion about what value could mean, what is a beautiful- and a good guality product in your opinion and what does other people think? Learn from each other to cretae mor circular flows, and more value in reusing chairs in new ways.
Key objectives for inclusion
Two of the events I plan to do in the spring 2022 is doing a Pop-Up workshop and exhibition at ReTuna Recycling mall in Sweden and being a part of the Living Lab, ReUse Lab at Bornholm to start with. By doing this the concept will be tested and evaluated. And from that more Pop-up workshop in other places can be held. Everyone is welcome and no previous knowledge is needed. The pop-up event creates a new meeting point for citizens and an opportunity to meet and talk with people.
The workshop will be held in places that is easily accessed by bus and bike and everyone who is joining get a chair to work with, or work with the material from a broken one. It is also easier to start collaborating with new people, since you can help each other with ideas and knowledge. The Pop-up event should be free to join since it is a collaboration with the municipality, for the citizens. Everyone gets the same prerequisites in the workshop and gets support by me as a workshop leader or by other people involved.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
All these dimensions are connected in the project because the Share / Chair concept involves all these dimensions. A chair has four legs, and these three dimensions are one leg each and the fourth leg will be the dimension where everything meets.
We need to have something to gather around to be able to explore complex problems and challenges together, and this concept is about exploring different kinds of chairs together with different kinds of people.
