Perhaps more than one or two of the things that you have thrown away lately could have become not only a useful piece, but even a design object. You’ll be amazed to see the creations on show at Disseny Hub Barcelona, as part of the exhibition “Pure Gold. Reutilitzar! Revalorar!”, which can be seen at the centre in Plaça de les Glòries from 25 April to 16 June.

The exhibition is an initiative of the ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), a German organisation dedicated to promoting coexistence between different cultures through cultural activities such as the series of exhibitions they organise and which can be seen all over the world in collaboration with local partners.

Now it is Disseny Hub Barcelona, which, with the support of the Goethe–Institut, is becoming a partner of ifa in an exhibition dedicated to the use we make of the diverse waste we produce and how it can be transformed into something useful and very different. 

The exhibition that now arrives in Barcelona was inaugurated to coincide with the celebrations of the centenary of the ifa and presents a series of creators who work in an ethical, sustainable and multidisciplinary way, often using alternative production techniques. In the exhibition you will find many examples that show how the reuse of waste can be the origin of a design object.  You can see it in a series of works that, like the Tòquio bag, by Vaho & Vaho Works, show how a banner of the ones that you can find on the city’s streets can become a fashionable bag. 

Take a closer look and you’ll discover how the combination of basket weaving and the reuse of plastic bottles can result in designer lamps such as those produced (for over thirty years now) by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón (pictured here is his Pet Lamp. Photo: ACdO).

Furniture, rebuilt material, objects from other times…. Everything can be reused and reconverted into an artistic piece. They may seem like humble creations, but they are based on great principles: ethics, responsibility, internationalisation and co-creation. In the exhibition you will see works selected by the exhibition curator, Volker Albus (such as the Framed cabinet by Breg Hansse), as well as creations from all over the world: from Europe to Asia, passing through Africa and the Near East. The DHub, however, has expanded the selection to include local creators who offer us a glimpse of Barcelona’s reuse art scene.

But the exhibition “Pure Gold. Reutilitzar! Revalorar!” not only shows finished objects, but also, between 7 and 10 May, will show us how they are made in a workshop. DHub invites local design artists to create a series of stop-motion videos in which you can see the complete process of transforming an object. Professionals in the field (Axel Kufus, Annika Unger and Anja Lapatsch) will lead the Upcycable Workshop, which will lead to a virtual platform where you can watch the various tutorials.

If you want to see how a series of objects have been given a new life and turned into works of art, come and see the design pieces in the exhibition “Pure Gold. Reutilotzar! Revalorar!“, but first you can find all the information about it on the DHub website.