Garbage World

Eco-Design Festival at the Budapest VAM Design Center

SUSTAINABILITY is everyone’s main agenda these days, and this is no different at Budapest’s Eco-Design Festival entitled ‘Garbage World’. The major goal of the event is to campaign for conscious environment protection, to popularize recycling and to recommend the use of natural resources. The organizers wish to enhance the eco-centric, green way of thinking by displaying design products made of garbage. The event also provides an opportunity for young Hungarian artists to introduce themselves, espousing and supporting the Hungarian contemporary graphic and applied arts. Modern dance, music and art also join the project that focuses on recycling of garbage and waste materials as well as eliminating further garbage issues by utilizing natural materials.

Design-demonstration
Nowadays, one of the most important topics in environment protection is the recycling of garbage and waste. This recent program series, which deals with the problems of garbage accumulation, looks for and also offers alternatives to utilize garbage and to prevent further growth. “So far, there has been no eco-design program series of such scale and quality in Hungary,” said Miklós Vincze, Director of Vam Design Center. “This exhibition features a number of spectacular, astounding, smart, humorous, still artistic works of art as if it was a kind of design demonstration,” he continued on the opening ceremony, adding that Chief patron of the festival is Imre Szabó, Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Environment and Water.

On the first day of the exhibition, an eco-fashion show was held where contemporary Hungarian designers (Cecília Reök, Tímea Varga, Eszter Ormos, Gyöngyi Varga) presented their collections made of garbage and natural materials. In the course of the international Baltic Sea Festival, the EUNIC Green Design exhibition also joins the eco-festival by displaying the Danish 'Dreams on Wheel' bicycle fair, a painting exhibition of the Danish town Christiania. Finnish recycled jewels and Estonian 'talking clothes' are also on display. Furthermore, on Oct 10, a workshop is going to be held where artists will help those who attend to make their own goods or ornaments.

Eco-jewels from Finland
Chocolate-paper wallets and dazzle lamp-earrings are on display and also available for sale during the festival. These practical products are made by MAKEEdesign, a Finnish goup that was established in 2007 by Paivi Savolainen. At first, Savolainen fabricated smaller bags from chocolate and sweets paper. Then he started to prepare jewels of worn nylon net-bags and old dazzle lamps, hoping his works would make people smile and they might give him further ideas how to recycle certain things. Another exhibitor, ‘Laurase’ was founded in 2006 by a goldsmith, Laura Saarivuori-Eskola.

When the Finnish currency, the Mark was gradually replaced by the Euro, Saarivuori-Eskola started wondering what was going to happen to the old coins. She collected a serious amount of “money,” and made jewellery out of the worthless coins. She also works with forks, spoons and plates as well.
The collection of Secco, established in 2002, is versatile and eclectic: they have products of old gramophone records, used retainer rings, out-dated safety belts and many other archaic or worn materials. When Secco discovered the more and more increasing rubbish-heaps, feeling responsible for the environment, he began an adventurous journey. He returned home packed with souvenirs he calls the Treasures of Garbage-Land.

Reet Aus - TALKING CLOTHES
The installation includes a bunch of clothing, made of recycled materials, like old household textiles, outsorted uniforms of the Estonian Army and Police Force, leftovers of textile industry and that of manufacturing clothing.

Dreams on Wheels
This exhibition aims to inspire more and more people to enjoy cycling by showing them the best Danish examples of cultural habits, innovative designs and as city shaping and planning. The Budapest version of the display is also the overture of the UN Climate Conference held in Copenhagen December 2009.

Christiania in Art
This display is attempting to satisfy the increasing international interest in the Danish “free city,” Christiania by showing a less known, special part of the Danish culture. The exhibition showcases the art of eight graphic artists and painters. The pictures depict the history of Christiania that since its establishment in 1971 has become the symbol of environment-consciousness and green, livable life.