NEW SUSTRAINABLE UPCYCLING OF WASTE

Sustainable Upcycling, Dave Remedios

Passion Project  ·  Sustainable Design

Turning trash
into treasure.

A personal journey from a university sculpture workshop to selling 50 handmade lamps at a Christmas bazaar. A decade of finding beauty, function and meaning in things other people threw away.

About this work UC

Concept

Scrapnomization, turning everyday waste into functional art for living spaces.

Disciplines

Sculpture Product Design Upcycling Epoxy Resin Textile Print

Materials

Car tyres, shuttle tubes, beer caps, broken clocks, fallen leaves, jute, resin

Impact

50 lamps sold in one day, proceeds funding winter clothing and a Christmas meal for 30 homeless people

Recognition

Featured in local daily newspaper, conducted Zoom workshops during COVID-19

Origin Story

From a sculptor's
challenge to a calling

By nature, I tend to accumulate things, though it's not a trait I boast about. During my undergraduate studies, we participated in a workshop led by a local sculptor named Ilyas Ahmed. He provided us with two truckloads of auto parts and encouraged us to unleash our creativity by crafting pieces of art for our university campus. This encounter left a lasting impact on me, reshaping my perspective on waste materials.

Soon, this newfound outlook evolved into a hobby. I found myself constantly seeking ways to transform ordinary waste into functional works of art, repurposing old badminton shuttle cans into unique night lamps, crafting centre tables using discarded car tyres, and turning beer bottle caps into coasters. This process gave birth to what I like to call "Scrapnomization."

"From the Trashbin to the Living Room" - turning everyday junk into functional art pieces that people are proud to own.

Dave Remedios  ·  Scrapnomization

50

Lamps sold in a single day at the Christmas Bazaar

30

Homeless people provided winter clothing and a Christmas meal from proceeds

1

Newspaper feature and multiple Zoom workshops conducted during COVID-19

01  ·  Public Art

From scrap to sculpture:
car parts as canvas

The original spark. Two truckloads of auto parts, one sculptor's challenge, and a university campus in need of art. A formative experience that proved discarded metal could carry beauty, scale and meaning.

Public sculpture made from car parts
02  ·  Tyre Tables

Old tyres reborn
as living room furniture

Instead of discarding old car tyres, they were wrapped with jute thread with badminton shuttle boxes as legs. Tabletops made from fallen leaves, hand-painted and sealed with epoxy resin. A second piece topped with Egyptian marble after the original broke, providing a more stable and lasting solution.

Tyre table with marble top
Tyre base with Egyptian marble top
Tyre table detail
Jute-wrapped tyre, leaf epoxy surface
03  ·  Decorative Tables

Shuttle boxes, broken glass
and fallen leaves

Repurposed badminton shuttle boxes, broken glass, fallen leaves and scrap wood, bound with epoxy resin as the primary finishing medium. Each piece unique, each surface a record of what was discarded and what was made possible.

Decorative table 1
Decorative table 2
Decorative table 3
Decorative table 4
Decorative table 5
Decorative table 6
04  ·  Handmade Lamps

50 lamps, sold in
a single day

Each lamp featured a pedestal made from repurposed badminton shuttle cork tubes, shades wrapped in satin and printed with digitally hand-drawn designs. A friend and I set up a stall at a Christmas bazaar and sold all 50 unique pieces within a single day. The proceeds provided winter clothing and a Christmas meal for around 30 homeless people.

Lamp 1
Lamp 2
Lamp 3
Lamp 4
Lamp 5
Lamp 6
Christmas Bazaar Stall
Christmas bazaar stall 1
Christmas bazaar stall 2
05  ·  Epoxy Resin Clocks

Broken clocks,
reborn in resin

While cleaning out the garage, a few broken clocks sparked an idea. The clock hands and movements were salvaged and rehoused in epoxy resin cast with alcohol inks, producing vibrant colours and captivating 3D patterns. A single experiment evolved into an entire line of handmade timepieces.

Epoxy clock 1
Epoxy clock 2
Epoxy clock 3
Epoxy clock 4
Epoxy clock 5
Epoxy clock 6
06  ·  Coasters and Shot Glasses

Beer caps to coasters,
curiosity to a collection

It started with transforming beer bottle caps into timeless coasters. The experiment grew into colourful versions and matching shot glasses, designed as unique souvenirs. Objects people once threw away, now things they actively seek out.

Coasters 1
Coasters 2
Coasters 3
Shot glasses 1
Shot glasses 2
Coaster collection
Coaster collection spread
07  ·  Recognition

Featured in the
local newspaper

During the sudden COVID-19 pandemic and overnight lockdowns, working on these hobby projects became a true game-changer. After finishing office work each day, diving into creative upcycling helped cope with the uncertainty and fear of a once-in-a-lifetime phase.

Zoom workshops were conducted to support other enthusiasts, providing basic skills to transform waste into functional, everyday art. A feature in the local daily newspaper followed, offering encouragement and recognition during a challenging time.

Newspaper feature
Featured in local daily newspaper  ·  COVID-19 period

See more
of my work

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