Feb 09, 2021
PLASTICS. And then! Touring exhibition planned for summer semester on TUD campus
Already in the end of 2019, the Saxon Library Society (SäBiG) and its cooperation partners addressed the challenges surrounding the topic of plastic, environmental pollution and sustainability. In an interactive exhibition with an accompanying program, visitors were able to learn about different types of plastic, their production and possible bioplastics alternatives.
To the question "How can plastic be used sustainably?" the project "PLASTIK. And then!" provides a practical creative answer.
In the "Technologies and Materials" module of the "Product and Communication" course at HTW Dresden, students research and design sustainable furniture made from plastic waste. The designs are realized with the help of a novel injection molding process matured in Dresden, in which plastic waste is analyzed, sorted and shredded. With the newly obtained raw material, the recycled plastic, is then created through heat and pressure in the "plastic press". Special care is taken to ensure that the resulting furniture is modular and thus adaptable to different situations. This means that the furniture is assembled from individual building elements that can be put together and taken apart again like a puzzle. It is therefore possible, for example, to take apart a chair made of recycled plastic and turn it into a table.
Existing materials from local cycles are used for production. Plastic waste is thus turned into a new product - in an individual form.
The resulting furniture is currently being used to create the traveling exhibition "PLASTIK. Und dann!". This exhibition not only focuses on sustainable design and individual living culture. It presents "alternative" furniture that invites visitors to touch and try out. Within the exhibition, the most important questions about plastic and sustainability are also answered in a clear and understandable way. It is also possible to try out the plastic shredder and the injection molding machine, with which the individual components of the furniture were created, for yourself under supervision. Thus, the exhibition is not only purely informative, but also offers the opportunity to participate in the process itself.
Libraries, as places of knowledge and information sharing, are contact points for many people of different generations. For this reason, the traveling exhibition will be made available free of charge to libraries in rural areas after being tested on the TU Dresden campus. Together with them, theme weeks will be offered around the topics of plastic, environmental pollution and sustainability. This is to be linked with readings, theme book tables, action days and discussion rounds. The planned date for the exhibition in Dresden is the summer semester of 2021, depending on the current situation.
The project is conceived and implemented in cooperation with TU Dresden, the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTW), the SLUB Makerspace, Konglomerat e.V. and the TU Dresden Environmental Initiative - tuuwi. The project was financially supported by the IKEA Foundation.
Further information regarding the project:
https://www.säbig.de/projekte_container/plastik-und-dann