Façade - an Ingenious Recycling Idea

Product design

An art and design event with the aim of making better use of the sheet scaffolding encasing Dutch cities. Part I is about art and Part II is about design, a dual event that responds to the effects of large-scale advertising on our cityscapes.

By Gabrielle Kennedy / 14-09-2009

This coming Saturday sees the launch of FAÇADE, a two-part art and design event curated by Nathalie Faber of 60 layers of Cake.

Observing the massive amount of sheet scaffolding encasing building sites around the city, Faber started thinking. Currently, the sheets are used as advertising space, but what if instead, artists were commissioned to create work on them to communicate ideas.

The scaffolding is often massive and always temporary lending itself well to the public art purpose. “I’m very platform free,” says Faber. “I usually start with an idea and then from there select the best medium to showcase it on.”

Artists like Erik Kessels are involved in this project, which is only part I of the concept. “I like this idea, of course, “ says Faber, “but then I realized that by the end of it all, I will be stuck with a lot of surplus PVC sheets. I decided that new ways of reusing the material were needed.”

This Saturday during a presentation by Tejo Remy at the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam, and as part of Dutch Design Double’s Inside Design Amsterdam event, the FAÇADE RE:FRAME competition will be announced. Designers are invited to recycle PVC (PVC front lit or mesh) scaffolding sheets into new and innovative products.

“All we ever see made from this material are bags,” says Faber pointing to the Freitag brand as the most obvious success story. “But you could design shower curtains, coats, tents … anything.”

Faber says the interesting aspect of this is that the materials are provided. “Usually in design competitions, designers have to select a material and provide it whereas for this they just announce how many meters they need and we cut it for them.”

Tejo Remy will present the motivations and potential behind the Façade event this Saturday night at the Lloyd Hotel from 7pm. The deadline for the Façade competition is January 19th 2010.