“Upcycling” is a new term and a new direction in contemporary design art. It means reusing materials and objects in design works and promotes environmentally conscious consumption through design and beauty.
Recently, as the head of the study field “Art”, Assistant Professor of the BIA Mikhail Kopeikin says, upcycling has been gaining increasing popularity abroad. This new direction has also sparked interest among our lecturers and students. That’s why we decided to organise a workshop for future designers. With the support of the international ERASMUS+ programme, we invited a well-known specialist in the field of upcycling, Associate Professor KURT ORKUN AKTAŞ from Kirikkale University (Turkey) and became pioneers in mastering this new direction in design in our country.
The professor from Turkey offered the students of the BIA a comprehensive workshop programme focused on upcycling techniques. Using specific examples from his personal experience, he demonstrated the methodology of developing design projects in the upcycling style, choosing the necessary secondary materials and objects and assessing the expediency of their use. He also actively participated in implementation of students’ ideas during the workshop.
Summarising the results of the workshop, KURT ORKUN AKTAŞ positively evaluated the students’ first steps in mastering upcycling. He especially emphasised the creativity shown by third-year student Natalia Yaruta and wished her and her groupmates to continue to be creative in using new methods in design.
In the photo: A group of participants of the workshop. In the centre – Assistant Professor Mikhail Kopeikin and Associate Professor KURT ORKUN AKTAŞ. The student of the BIA Natalia Yaruta thanks the professor from Turkey for his useful and interesting lectures and advice on mastering upcycling.
