Egypt PM, Japan's JBIC head explore deeper cooperation    Egyptian pound wavers vs. USD in early trade    SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    Egypt's PM meets Tokyo governor, witnesses signing of education agreements    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Egypt's Sisi, France's Macron discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts in phone call    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



When trash becomes art: Basurama in Cairo
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 25 - 05 - 2011

Don't hesitate if a friend invites you to sit on a “tire sofa.” Hide your surprise when spotting a light bulb turned into a vase on the nearby table, or even if the barber invites you to sit on a less-than-welcoming Frankenstein chair that results from the combination of recycled materials.
“In the excessive waste era we live in, reusing is a state of mind,” explains Basurama, the Spanish collective dedicated to both cultural investigation and production, during “The Garbage Experience,” a conference held at Townhouse factory space last Monday in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy and the Egyptian Elnamla Cultural Resources.
The Basurama collective started in 2001 with the enthusiasm of a group of students at the Madrid School of Architecture, who set up a laboratory for designing waste management and reuse projects outside an academic context.
The members of the collective soon became professionals, and they developed independent as well as on-demand projects based on the innovative reuse of waste. They organized workshops and exhibitions around the world to spread their creativity and inspire people wherever they traveled.
For the first time in Egypt, they presented their outlook and experience regarding garbage production and the development of creative solutions.
Waste production and management represent a long-lasting problem in Egypt. The volunteers who were particularly active in cleaning the streets and raising awareness during the revolution have drastically diminished.
Therefore, raising awareness while changing the way people make use of public spaces is becoming extremely compelling. If the reduction of extensive packing and the use of brand new objects that “are born just to die” - like leaflets and ads - is important to limit the amount of trash produced, Basurama also stressed the necessity of generating new artistic and original attitudes toward waste. According to them, any piece of trash can become a work of art - be it a chair or a dress - and also amuse and raise awareness among the community.
In the creative atmosphere that characterizes the post-revolution period in Egypt, the ideas developed by the Spanish architects introduce new perspectives toward an amusing and inspiring reappropriation of public spaces that preserve the environment.
Benjamin Castro and Juan López-Aranguren, two young architects from Basurama, came to Cairo to start their research on urban and public spaces in a context that is completely different from the Spanish one. But they insisted that while the context may be different, the philosophy remains the same: “Don't be serious.” In order to think about ways to reuse trash, people have to be free to develop processes where creation happily mingles with learning.
This creativity process took the shape of a three-day workshop opened to 25 students, activists and professionals from the fields of art, architecture and urban planning. The project focused on the urban waste and the reappropriation of the urban environment in order to redefine urban abandoned areas. What they explained during the conference is that these urban, forsaken areas are perfect grounds for generating new and innovative ideas, with particular attention to terrain vague and the so-called non-places, namely the unused spaces between buildings.
“Our aim,” Castro explained during the conference, “is to engage with the local communities so they can continue to revitalize the area after our project is finalized.”
Using waste in a creative way to produce installations and works of art is new to Egypt. This might explain the current confusion of the Basurama's organizers on the type of project they could develop in Egypt.
“We are still in the researching phase here in Cairo,” López-Aranguren said. “So many exciting things are happening here that it's actually difficult to have a clear idea of the shape our future project in Egypt will take. But this is good. We are open to everything, especially because we don't have any precise idea.”
But it seems that a lot of this creative freedom ended up being pretty confusing to some of the participants of the workshop.
“I expected a more intensive workshop. Actually, it consisted of urban research rather than a workshop on solid waste recycling,” says Mohamed Abul Khier, a teaching assistant at the architecture University in Alexandria. “Workshops of this kind are usually made to bring new ideas, but we did not have much interaction,” he added, seemingly disappointed that they spent so much time wandering around the city to find ideas on how to revitalize the urban space.
“I'm used to participating in workshops, and we usually work with tutors. I didn't like the choice of dividing us in groups without even assigning a tutor [to each group], confesses Omar Abu Zekry, a student in architecture. “But what was clearly more interesting to me is when we all brainstormed together,” he says.
Despite the normal organizational inconveniences, the public warmly welcomed the projects presented by Basurama and their idea of creating art out of trash while helping the environment.


Clic here to read the story from its source.