The project includes efforts to raise awareness on waste management and recycling on our university campus through art. For this purpose, seminars on sustainability, waste management and recycling were held. The staff and students of Sculpture department held a recycling sculpture workshop by using waste metals and other solid wastes found in the campus waste collection area. It is aimed to draw attention to all the audience-participant stakeholders about the waste materials in their environment and the power of art in transforming them.
Sustainability means meeting our needs through our limited resources, while not consuming or wasting tomorrow’s resources and also aiming to leave a livable world to the next generations. Transforming waste materials into sustainable resources is one of the most basic approaches applied by modern arts. Transformation with materials, which are called ‘waste’, is also one of the working areas of sculpture.
University campuses are the most important life models leading science, art and life. For this reason, the awareness created in campuses in terms of waste management and recycling, which is an integral part of sustainability, is highly important. Within the scope of the project, it is planned to transform waste materials into sculptures and exhibit them as an aesthetic item.
At the first stage, researches were carried out in waste facilities; Afterwards, seminars were held in order to inform and raise awareness about recycling. Sculpture workshop was held during May with the participation of undergraduate and graduate students under the direction of academicians of the sculpture department by using the waste metals found in the Waste Collection Area of Dokuz Eylül University Tınaztepe Campus and other solid wastes brought from the facility. Sculptures, in which waste materials are transformed into art objects, met with the public in the public space with the exhibition held at Dokuz Eylül University Sabancı Culture Palace on 07-10 June 2022 in the city center as part of ‘The Environment Days’.
The sculptures in the exhibition were also exhibited to the audiences through another exhibition held between 25.07 and 01.08 ‘22 in the foyer area of Dokuz Eylül University Rectorate building. In the final stage of the project; Recycled sculptures were placed in the Science and Technology Research Center of our University. The constant interaction of the exhibition with new audiences coming to the campus and the city center was provided through exhibiting the materials in those two places where the exhibitions were held.
With the seminars, workshops and exhibitions, it had been aimed to create stimulating and remarkable effect through art among the students and all stakeholders on campus, where awareness about waste-recycling and sustainability is increased.
Within the scope of the project, the transformative power of art was used in order to draw the attention of all stakeholders, audiences – participants, to the waste materials around them and to raise awareness. Also, it is aimed not to consume tomorrow’s resources and to leave a livable world to future generations.
TRIP TO A WASTE RECYCLING FACILITY IN THE CITY
1. Waste Field Investigation in Industry
The artist creates order out of chaos. He/she has the power to turn a worthless object like garbage into an object of desire. He/She can create a sustainable life proposal for himself/herself by transforming any waste into a valuable object with her technique, talent and creative elements.
The effect and awareness created by transforming a waste, garbage or an object that is thought to be useless into a creative expression in its own field is of great importance in the formation of recycling and environmental awareness. This effect is also decisive for creating sensitivity in the audience.
We started the project with an inspection trip to a waste recycling facility in the city. The process of sorting and processing the waste according to the material was an important experience that most of the students saw for the first time, were excited and informed.
The students started the design process by taking the pieces they chose fo the sculptures they would make from the waste area. Some of the pieces of paper, plastic and fabric found here were reserved to be brought to the campus area. Although the purpose of collecting the waste material may seem ineffective for the artist, it will eventually turn into an artistic expression tool.
Although the purpose of collecting the waste material may seem ineffective for the artist, it will eventually turn into an artistic expression tool.
In the project, it is aimed to bring together the once inanimate, discarded and forgotten objects for the artists and transform them into aesthetically infinite objects.
2. Waste Material Investigation at Tınaztepe Campus of Dokuz Eylül University.
The second field investigation was carried out in Dokuz Eylül University Tınaztepe Campus Waste Area. During a week, all students started to design the sculpture they would make with the waste materials they chose.
3. Sculpture Department + Sustainability Office
"Sustainable Waste Management and Sculpture Art Seminars”
“Beautiful, sustainable and all together”
All students were informed about what they can do to transform waste materials into a vital-artistic space through eight seminars with four sessions held every week during the design process and sculpture workshop.
Session 1
Thursday, May 12 Time: 15:00
Opening Speech: Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu ÖZEL DEMİRALP
• Prof. Arzu ATIL: Sustainability, Waste-Recycling and Art
• Prof. Dr. Görkem AKINCI: The Reality of Waste in the World and in Turkey
• Moderator: Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu ÖZEL DEMİRALP
Session 2
Wednesday, May 18 Time: 15:00
• Prof. Sevgi AVCI: Artistic Transformation of Production and Consumption Wastes in the Example of Sculpture Workshops
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. E. Duyuşen GÜVEN: Studies on Reducing Waste Production at Dokuz Eylül University
• Moderator: Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu ÖZEL DEMİRALP
Session 3
Thursday, May 26 Time: 15:00
• Assoc Prof: Gökçen ERGÜR: Hugo Boss Waste Material Sculpture Workshops
• Res. Assist. Ayşenur ÖZUYSAL: ATY (Waste Derived Fuel) Production from Textile Wastes
• Moderator: Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu ÖZEL DEMİRALP
Session 4
Thursday, June 09 (5-11 June Environment week) Time: 15:00
Closing Speech: Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu ÖZEL DEMİRALP
• Res. See: Levent AYATA: Sculpture Department Recycling, Zero Waste Sculpture Workshop Participant Experience in 2019
• Prof. Dr. Görkem AKINCI: Sustainable Campus Practices at Dokuz Eylül University
• Moderator: Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu ÖZEL DEMİRALP
Other Projects
Project 01
Transformation of Waste Materials into Sculpture as an Example of Sustainability
Project 02
Open Air Art Works in Public Space
Project 03
In the case of Dokuz Eylül University Public Space Mural and Sculpture Applications
Project 04
Sustainable Textile Product Rag Dolls and Educational Toy Designs with Social Responsibility Awareness