Appropriation, ephemera and the transformation of waste

The basis of this paper is to examine the outcomes of a collaborative project between the University of Huddersfield and Oxfam. Students worked with Oxfam, Huddersfield in developing new works created using the items that Oxfam were unable to sell. Initially this was observed pedagogically as second year students on the Textiles with Surface Design course engaged with these materials. The 8-week project was the
first assessment to examine what designers in the early stages of their career can produce utilising damaged donations, often destined for landfill, and in this case manipulating the materials using the facilities at the University.

Although Oxfam already has frameworks in place for the upcycling of its unsalable donations, these creations are often reconstructed products such as altered garments or interior furnishings.
This research hoped to observe the development of samples, new materials, concepts, ideas and artworks that could be used to generate discussion on the appropriation of images and objects for transformative purposes. The artefacts created may not have intrinsic value as saleable shop items but they could initiate dialogue between the makers and the wider community about the value of the unwanted object and the perception of charity shops on high streets.