Upcycling in visual arts

Upcycling – A Form of Creative Reuse

Upcycling is a process of secondary waste transformation that results in products of higher value, treated as valuable resources.

The workshops aim to create a series of generative light forms capable of interacting with each other and their surrounding environment. The final result will be a comprehensive audiovisual experience in which participants can engage in various ways – either as passive observers or active contributors influencing the interactions between the forms.

The installation will incorporate elements from the project „Nowhere on This Earth” by Szymon Szewczyk, originally used as a dynamic light scenography for concerts at the Solar Festival 2024 in Katowice.

In keeping with the concept of upcycling, participants will not only work with advanced technologies but also contribute to a creative process that emphasizes resource responsibility and eco-friendly production. The construction of light objects will involve combining aluminum profiles with hand-formed plexiglass, processed through heat treatment. This technique will create unique, irregular, organic shapes that, when combined with LED technology, will result in a spatial, generative light installation.

The generative nature of the installation will be achieved through the use of addressable RGB LEDs, Teensy microcontrollers, and various sensors such as photoresistors, distance detectors, and microphones. These technologies will enable each object to react to one another and to changes in the environment by altering color, light intensity, and animation.

During the workshops, participants will gain knowledge in light installation design, microcontroller programming, sensor integration, and component fabrication. They will also have the opportunity to experiment with different materials and learn technological processes such as plexiglass forming and electronics soldering. The workshops combine art, technology, and ecology.

About the Exhibition:
„Upcycling in Art” showcases a collection of interactive light installations that respond to their surroundings and to each other. The works combine LED technology, microcontrollers, and sensors with upcycled elements from Szymon Szewczyk’s „Nowhere on This Earth” project, previously exhibited at the Solar Festival 2024. The exhibition emphasizes the importance of ecology and modern technologies in art.

Artists: Jakub Augustyniak, Anna Balewska, Jakub Jeskie, Anna Jurgielewicz, Aleksandra Kanarek, Bartosz Seifert, Mila Nowacka, Natalia Radzka, Piotr Stechura, Waldemar Sorin.

We warmly invite you to explore the world of generative light and sound!

Acknowledgments: The organizers extend their gratitude to the Creative Industries Development Center and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for their support in making this project possible.

This project is funded by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program.