Trash To Treasure Residency Multi-Platform Exhibition: Celebrating Trash
As A Meeting Point For Culture
| Can trash reveal to us our cultural differences and similarities? What is
your relationship with trash in your creative practice? Where should artists
draw the line between waste and material? Eight artists address these
questions and more during the pilot residency program Trash to Treasure that
happened from October 2021 to February 2022. The residency concludes with an
exhibition of the creative outcomes both in the United Kingdom and
Malaysia.
Turning Trash Into Treasure Meaning
Turning Trash Into Treasure Meaning: Trash-Treasure is a
cross-cultural art residency program that celebrates trash as a site of
cultural exchange to Trash-Treasure art exhibit.
Nur Hannah Wan_Linocuts, Guitar String, Fruit Bags
CarolineHB_Plastic & Crisp Bag Weaving
During the residency, eight creative practitioners: four from the United
Kingdom (textile artist Caroline Hyde-Brown; artist Genevieve Rudd;
documentary-filmmaker Nur Hannah Wan; natural dyer Ummi Junid) and four from
Malaysia (multidisciplinary digital artist Abdul Shakir; artist Fariza
Azlina; new media artist KC Tan; visual artist Joanne Loo) underwent a
creative exchange using waste material as a point of contact (turn trash
into treasure projects).
Genevieve Rudd_Cyano Type Exposure
Fariza Azlina_Heated Plastic Pieces
Fariza Azlina_Heated Plastic Pieces
Eco artists collected 'trash' from their daily lives and creative practices.
The waste materials from both countries were then exchanged and used to
forge new narratives and creative outcomes.
Eco Artists Turning Trash Into Treasure
Eco Artists Turning Trash Into Treasure| The assortment of waste
material collected reflects the diversity in creative discipline: 3D printed
test objects; batik scraps; used tea bags; linocuts; beach plastic; and
takeaway packaging were some of the materials sent from one country to the
other. For some of the artists, working with waste materials was an entirely
new concept that turned trash into new products. The residency was an
opportunity to explore ways of reusing what would otherwise be discarded. The
materials were used in experiments involving cyanotype, embroidery, dyeing,
and even digital applications such as projection mapping and video capture.
Ummi Junid_Teabag & Batik Experiment
Teabag Material
CarolineHB_Batik Beading Embroidery
Trash to Treasure will culminate in exhibitions both in the United Kingdom and
Malaysia. The Malaysian exhibition will be held at FabU Cafe, Sunway Metro,
Bandar Sunway from 18 – 20 February 2022, and will showcase the outcomes of
the Malaysian artists during the residency. Appointment slots will be open in
February on the residency website, Projek Trash Treasure. Each session is
limited to 10 pax in line with S.O.Ps. The United Kingdom exhibition will be
held in Norwich, further details to be shared on the Trash to Treasure website
and social media channels. It is so interesting to see how to turn trash into
something useful from the upcoming showcase.
"It's important to evaluate the future! We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go"-quotes about turning trash into treasure
A virtual experience on the residency website will allow visitors to enjoy
the outcomes from both countries. Each outcome will be displayed in a
virtual gallery, and visitors can also view behind-the-scenes footage,
listen to artist interviews and watch exhibition highlights.
Trash <––> Treasure residency program was formed by Joanne Loo and
Ummi Junid, supported by the
British Council
Connections Through Culture Grant 2021-2022. The art residency is a
cross-cultural program that celebrates trash as a meeting point for culture
sharing. Its aim is two-fold: to examine the possibility of culture sharing
between the United Kingdom and Malaysia, using waste material as a starting
point; and to engage fellow creatives in conversations on sustainable
creative practices.