BURGEON Environmental Art Exhibition
Attended by David Suzuki, the environmental art exhibition was organized by Young Artists in Action, a group of immigrant youth that worked with MOSAIC’s Settlement & Integration Program. They also provided skills building and connected the youth to the David Suzuki Foundation and to Emily Carr University.
Twenty-one of our Green Apple Art Center students have participated in the BURGEON Environmental Art Exhibition. Our students were divided into two teams, with each participated in the design of “Eco Kitchen” and “Recyclable Fashion”.
Echo Kitchen
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Echo Kitchen 〰️
“Eco Kitchen” was a four-part, collaborative design by fifteen students: Improved Kitchen Ergonomic by Aurora Sun, Cici Chen, and Al Li; Flawless Waste Processing System by Dora Chen, Austen Li, and Lilly Zhang; Sustainable Energy Use by Amber Han, Claudia Pang, and Casey Gao; and Sustainable Kitchen Elements by Alice Pan, Holly Zhang, Jenny Wu, Linda Shi, Melinda Yang, and Richard Yang. These students incorporated these four major elements to redesign a life- size, sustainable, and interactive kitchen. In addition to using a variety of recyclable and sustainable materials in the construction of this kitchen, the students have also demonstrated their research and design concepts through innovative ways. They wish to deliver a message to the audience that even at an ordinary setting like the kitchen, our living environment can be greatly influenced by the small changes we are willing to make.
Kinetic Energy Floor
Designers: Claudia Pang / Amber Han
Can you imagine every time when people walk through the kitchen, the floor will convert the kinetic energy to electrical power and store into the battery to supply power to all kitchen appliances? “Pavegen” has already invented this type of flooring. Each floor tiles equips a small 35-watt generator, which can turn vertical movement as small as 10mm into electricity. Based on their research, Amber and Claudia used pressure sensors to simulate the kinetic energy floor, which prompt the sound of microwave, lighting of stoves, and changing fridge lighting to visualize such concept.
Reusable Water Dish Rack
Designers: Claudia Pang / Amber Han
There is always some water left under the drying rack, which is not hygienic and can breed bacteria. In this design, the drying rack consists of two parts: the first part is being designed to lean 30 degrees, with two acrylic boards on two sides of the rack as support, lifting the dishes in order to lower the chances of contacting germs. The dripping water will then flow to the second part, which is a planting area for greens such as parsley or onions. These plants do not require frequent watering and constant care, and can be used in cooking. Amber and Claudia chose to use transparent acrylic boards as the materials, as they can clearly demonstrate the entire concept and system process to the audience through a modern, aesthetic design.
Waste Decomposing System
Designer: Dora Chen
Waste management is a current issue that requires public attention, as the amount of trash production has been increasing steadily with the development of our life standards. Through research, Dora discovered that citizens of Switzerland have been adopting vermiculture for 25 years to decompose wastes, and with more and more countries are using such method. Why is vermiculture becoming so popular? First, red worms feed on our daily food leftovers and animals’ feces, and they are capable of transforming huge amounts of waste. Second, the worm population can double in 2 to 4 months, ensuring kitchen green wastes can be decomposed at a steady speed. Third, the production of castings “worm manure” can insulate plant roots from extreme temperatures, reduce erosion and control weeds. Dora used her excellent handcraft skills to create red worms and green wastes through polymer clay to visualize such concept.
Reusable Water System
Designers: Claudia Pang ／ Amber Han
In this new design, a mechanism is built to separate the unrecyclable and reusable water produced at the sink. The unusable portion will be discarded, while the uncontaminated water will be filtered to be reused again, and later on be discarded when it becomes unusable. LED lights are incorporated in this design to vividly visualize the process of this mechanism.
Recycling Center
Designer: Austen Li
The kitchen island consists of a storage section and a recycling center. The original concept of recycling center came from Faltazi’s Ekokook Project, one that aims to recycle solid wastes such as paper, glass bottles, and plastics through compressing them via designed mechanisms, reducing the amount of space they occupy in the kitchen, as well as allowing homeowners making less frequent trips to throw garbage outside. Austen illustrated this process through hand-drawn technique, and the lighting of the stoves is being generated through a manual power handle.
Wonder Bag
Designer: Casey Gao
Wonderbag slow cooker is a stand alone, non-electric insulated bag designed to reduce the amount of fuel required in cooking. Instead of being placed on a stove for the duration of the cooking period, food is heated to a hot enough temperature then is transferred to the beanbags, which uses the principle of thermal insulation to continue cooking, keeping the food warm without additional heat.
The original Wonderbag was designed by Sarah Collins in 2008. It can reduce up to 30% of family’s fuel usage, decrease toxic fumes and CO2 emissions from traditional cooking, and save the amount of water being used in cooking. And in China, people use dried wheat as an alternative insulating material for similar purposes. Here, Casey used leftover beans, cotton, and oatmeal as insulation materials. Through changing size of the bags, Casey’s work showcased the original design as well as other usage of the bag, such as thermal cup holder.
Sustainable Kitchen Elements
Designers: Alice Pan， Jenny Wu， Richard Yang Melinda Yang， Linda Shi， Holly Zhang
In this section, students have constructed various different kitchen elements using reclaimed materials. Some are for decoration purposes, while some do contain certain degree of functionality. Their creative design and sustainable nature have won the hearts of the audiences.
Recyclable Fashion
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Recyclable Fashion 〰️
“Recyclable Fashion” was a collection of sustainable dresses designed by six of our students who have incorporated fashion, creative design concepts, and the use of recyclable materials. Using black and white women’s dresses as the main theme, students experimented with a variety of unwanted materials, such as packaging ribbons, old T-Shirt, wires, plastic bags and so on. These seven students have brought their creativity and styling skills into full play, inviting the audience to an elegant ball.