The processes of global industrialization and mounting consumerism produce so much refuse on a daily basis that upcycling has become a hot topic of vital importance. Designers take a different view of the things that some people discard as useless: bulky waste, rubbish, cheap materials—pure gold! The book Pure Gold: Upcycled! Upgraded! explores the subject of rubbish and presents ideas for processing refuse to create valuable products. Working with seven curators from Europe, Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East, East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South East Asia, ifa brought together a total of fifty-three designers for the exhibition and had them explore value creation as a form of appreciation in a range of different contexts. The first phase of the exhibition “Pure Gold: Upcycled! Upgraded!” begins at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (15 September 2017 – 21 January 2018).
Text: Volker Albus, Adélia Borges, Axel Kufus, Tapiwa Matsinde, Divia Patel, Bahia Shehab, Eggarat Wongcharit, Zhang Jie
