The Temple of Trash
Upcycled functional art series
A series that turned discarded material into functional art, made with Woodtomdoit, Studio Gimp and YidaCNC between 2020 and 2021. Luffa, rush grass, bamboo, marble, styrofoam and scrap metal, worked until each one held up as an object. Lockdown experiments ended as a full show at Lei Gallery, Taichung.
Remote collaboration
Lockdown meant we never stood in the same workshop. Sketches, material lists and video calls, each partner testing in their own studio. Nobody could explain a drawing over your shoulder, so we documented properly.
Material experimentation
We stressed each material to find out how it failed. Carved and layered foam. Melted nylon, welded scrap into frames. Every material wanted a different joint: adhesive, friction, wrapping.
Consolidation and installation
We brought the studios' work together and finished what would survive a gallery: panels hand-stitched, frames machined, epoxy on joints that had no business holding. The Lei Gallery hang ran the full range, delicate weave to welded steel.
Specifications
Various dimensions · luffa, rush grass, bamboo, marble, polyester, nylon, styrofoam, assorted metals · Minofmeer + partners · Lei Gallery, Taichung · 2020 to 2021
Gallery
- Challenges1/2
Second-rate material gave us weak joints and uneven finishes. Pieces cracked in transport. Surface treatments lifted under the gallery lights, so we reinforced as we went.
- Insights2/2
Scrap holds up as furniture, but only if you break it early and find out where it gives. The show came together because four studios stayed in step.
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