Graduate Exhibition

'Rubbish Rescue' explores how the reuse of disposed objects from kerbside council clean-ups can provide a gateway towards a sustainable future of critical consumption where reuse is favoured over acquiring the new. This project focuses on the undervalued people, referred to as 'gleaners', who retrieve and reuse kerbside objects, rescuing them from landfill. 'Gleaners' diverse motivations and experiences are captured in a series of portrait photographs and a short video documentary that communicate the issues of our throwaway society. Additionally, this project includes participatory activities which invite visitors to actively share their experiences of gleaning, generating valuable insights into the scope of this phenomenon. Mia Sabel’s vision is for 'Rubbish Rescue' to inspire audiences to embrace reuse in their lives, and perhaps give kerbside 'shopping' a try. Mia’s design philosophy celebrates her lifelong passion for creative reuse, posing the question: if all waste was once designed, how can we design to avoid this?