This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
Creative use of recycled material
The Robo-Stacker was an important and useful piece from the early ‘recycled’ design movement.
Jam was founded in London in 1994 by Astrid Zala, Jamie Ankey, and Matthieu Paillard, three young designers with architecture and visual art backgrounds. Their collaborative design work has taken on various forms, and they characterise their aim as “centred on the creative application of today’s material and technology breakthroughs.” This includes technological advances like the Robo-Stacker, which embodies a recycling reuse agenda in terms of product design.
Recycled Washing Machine
Whirlpool washing machine drums were used in the Robo-Stacker to create elegant general-purpose storage units for the household. Jam works with giant corporations. Whirlpool provided them with drums that had failed quality control. At the same time, Sony contributed projectors and sound systems for a bed included in the recent Crafts Council show Flexible Furniture. These businesses value their relationship with cutting-edge expertise and the implications of product recycling and reuse in a completely different environment. Robo-Stacker exemplifies this approach. Other commissions have followed, including installing old television sets for the Independent Advertising Association’s London lobby and a Chelsea bar for the Evian drinks brand. The ornamental surface in the serving area is constructed of bottle tops.
Sources
McDermott, C. (2011). Modern design: Classics of our time. Carlton Books.
Related Articles
Discover more from Encyclopedia of Design
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.