Georgia-based design collective Garbage Kids has exhibited a “long-lasting” collection of wooden furniture and ornaments made solely from recycled materials at Milan design week.
Showcased in collaboration with Dropcity – an urban centre for architecture and design founded by architect Andrea Caputo – the collection is situated in a historic tunnel located behind Milan Central Station, alongside a series of other installations.
Within the tunnel, the collection by Garbage Kids sits among a larger collection led by design collective and long-term Dropcity partner SOCII.
“The main idea behind our collection is to create something truly long-lasting, something with a strong character that creates images which stay with you, something to empathize with, creating connections on a personal level, something that is passed down by generation, to be maintained and cared for as long as possible,” Garbage Kids told Dezeen.
“All of our work is made from ‘waste’ materials, be it timber from demolition sites, abandoned quarries, fallen trees in forests or leftovers from other workshops or projects.”
“We gather our materials slowly, walking around the urban and wild environments, only taking a little bit, leaving the rest behind for someone else, be it human or other,” it added.
Among the collection is the Daybed, a long bench made from reclaimed walnut decorated with 11,000 seed pearls that were carefully glued into pre-drilled holes one by one, which is propped up by burned hazelnut and chestnut legs.
Exhibited alongside this is the Spiky Chair and Table, similarly made from reclaimed wood, which features legs covered in spikes made from hazelnut and coated with beeswax and ash mixture.
“Our work concentrates a lot on the traditional carpentry that has been used for hundreds of years, creating each piece using hand tools,” Garbage Kids said.
The slow pace of work is crucial, giving us time to develop the objects while building it,” the collective added. “Slowing down the making of our objects strongly objects to the current mainstream production of things in the contemporary context.”
At the centre of the collection, a series of playful Walnut Crocodile chairs are composed of three legs topped with a tapered seat made from leftover wood, which has been treated with linseed oil before being polished.
Also featured in the collection were hand-crafted wooden board games including an edition of The Royal Game of Ur and Backgammon, with which visitors to the exhibition could play throughout Milan design week.
Garbage Kids was founded by Nika Gabiskiria, Ulla Alla and Luka Abashidze. The collective is a long-term partner of Dropcity, and will continue to operate and host workshops at the Milan site for the foreseeable future.
“Our collection goes hand in hand with the idea of Dropcity, wishing to create and revive the tunnels as a cultural centre where the ideas of materials reuse and handcraft can be taught,” the collective said.
By running small workshops teaching basic woodwork, we continue to spread the traditional carpentry techniques that are quick to disappear.
Other collections exhibited during this year’s Milan design week include a grow-at-home sponge furniture collection by ECAL and hot-pink versions of Philippe Starck-designed chairs for both humans and Barbie dolls.
The photography is by Nika Gabiskiria.
