Hosted by the Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour, UniSA
An invitation to participate in:
A Design Exhibition: ‘Unmaking Waste through Re-Use’

To be held in the SASA Gallery, Art, Architecture and Design,
University of South Australia, Adelaide, during May, 2015
Submissions close November 30th 2014

The Project

Design is now the main generator of global consumption and waste. Consumerism needs to create waste, to make room for the brand new which is most valued, despite the heavy costs we must pay for this privilege. Waste is what is no longer valued, whether still useful in itself, or as a resource for other uses. This exhibition, like the accompanying conference, asks designers to consider ‘waste’ as that which has been prematurely de-valued, to make way for what is new, but not necessarily for what is better.

The Brief
Limited to a palette of (non-toxic) construction and demolition waste, this exhibition will confront some of the issues to be discussed in the conference. It will display everyday useful objects, but to be eligible for selection into the exhibition, these must be created from such typical C&D wasted materials as copper, steel and wire, PVC, wood, glass, concrete, brick and tile, and any other item or material commonly found in demolition yards. These everyday (and potentially useful) objects could be entirely remade or assembled from existing ones.

Designer’s Statement
Potential participants are encouraged to reflect on their practice in the conceptualization and making of the object to be submitted for the exhibition, which should result in a designer’s statement of 400-500 words.We also encourage you to submit an abstract and paper to the conference organising committee discussing your work at greater length (for details see over). Remaking or repurposing is rarely considered in terms of the aesthetics of what is being created, or in terms of the effect of these renewed objects on everyday life. Each item selected from the exhibition will be reproduced in a small catalogue, with an essay written by an external scholar on the concept of the exhibition. This will be published alongside the conference proceedings.

Submission Guidelines
Designers working in any 3-D discipline are invited to submit an expression of interest to participate in the exhibition. This 500 word statement should be accompanied by a one-page CV and up to six images of past relevant works. This expression of interest is due to the exhibition organisers by November 30th, 2014. Once selected, designers will be invited to submit up to two images of the work which they want to be considered for inclusion in the exhibition. This work should be photographed and then sent to the exhibition organisers in a JPG file, A3 size (420 x 297 mm) at 300 dpi, and optimised for screen display.

Six works in total will be selected for the exhibition. Those with successful submissions will be asked to ship their works to our gallery by April 20th, 2015. Transportation and travel insurance costs will not be covered by the exhibition organisers. However, the exhibition organisers will contribute to each exhibitor $300 towards research and material costs, and $300 towards packing and freighting. Exhibitors will also be invited to attend the conference for free.

For all further information on the exhibition, and any particular queries, please contact Katharine Thornton, Katharine.Thornton@unisa.edu.au, or Dr Robert Crocker, Robert.Crocker@unisa.edu.au

Sarah Sze, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Installation view, Malmö Konsthall, 2007.