I’m Waste Based

"After I'm gone from this world, where will all the things I used go?" In 2016, approximately 480 billion plastic PET bottles were discarded in a single year. By 2017 standards, the lifespan of more than 2.3 billion parcel boxes was a scant 2-3 days. Modern society is steeped in mass production and mass consumption. While this manner of living is undeniably convenient, it's far from sustainable. Grapelab wondered whether we might reintroduce resources that have already been used back into our lives. Through this exhibition, Grapelab hoped to bring the concept of recycled materials, which may feel distant, a bit closer to our grasp. Notably, they aimed to showcase the diversity of recycled paper, a material Grapelab actively uses in sustainable design, and its boundless possibilities.

Exhibition poster made from a shoe box

The exhibition is divided into two sections.

In SECTION 1, titled 'Yes, I was WASTE', items like coffee cups, discarded newspapers and magazines, and leather offcuts are amassed, appearing as 'rubbish' that's outlived its usefulness. Yet, with a slight shift in perspective, one can encounter the Paper Library, made primarily from what was once regarded as waste. Depending on how we view things, discarded items shed the label of 'rubbish' and become resources that beautify our lives. The Paper Library, comprised of premium recycled paper of various hues and textures, is based on a database Grapelab has built over the past few years. Visitors can choose from an assortment of diary pages made from the diverse recycled papers in the Paper Library to create their own personalised diary.

In SECTION 2, 'But, I can be EVERYTHING', the infinite possibilities of paper through folding techniques are displayed. Paper is flat. However, with the introduction of two simple codes, it undergoes endless transformations. Just as a combination of 0s and 1s in digital coding leads to endless programming applications, expanding into a variety of programs, paper, by folding inward(Valley) and outward(Mountain), creates new physical structures and strengths through the repetition and expansion of simple patterns. In fact, such folding techniques are often used in fields like architecture, robotics, and satellite development. The potential of folding techniques, crafted from a single sheet of recycled paper without the need for chemical adhesives or unnecessary attachments, is limitless.