Hit the Wheels

Description

Form follows function was yesterday, today it’s form follows rubbish.’Hit the Wheels’ deals with the upcycling of hubcaps. My aim was to use as little new material as possible, to avoid chemical products and to make waste visible as a valuable resource. I thermally formed the hubcaps, which I collected from the street. The surface was then treated with natural dyes made from blue wood, madder root, annatto seeds and black mallow flowers. The hubcaps were either dipped directly into the dye solution or Lyocell fibre was dyed and covered with the dye. One of the hubcaps was gold plated. Several hubcaps were given the necessary stability using existing steel wires and wire rope clamps. The design process in upcycling lies in the engagement with the material. The form comes from the material, the function develops as a final component. Small pieces of furniture and sculptures are created.