CYCLE

Imagine: The funfair of the future. The three Cycle grab machines stand in the middle and around them are children who, with wide eyes and a bit of luck, fish out plastic packaging. They then jump on and sort and separate the plastics. They learn about recycling and why it is so important for the planet in a playful way.

Germany has one of the best waste sorting and separation systems in the world and we all know that: Sorting waste is important. Organic waste belongs in the “brown garbage can” or on the compost heap, composite materials in the “black garbage can” and outer packaging in the “yellow garbage can”.

However, this is not always successful, which means that it is not possible to recycle by type and important raw materials are simply incinerated. This is not sustainable, wastes important resources and brings us closer to the climate tipping point. What’s more, Germany is also one of the highest-consuming countries in the world. Toys in particular are consumed intensively with only a short individual useful life.

With the work “Cycle”, we enable a playful reflection on our own fast-paced and affect-driven consumer behavior. In addition to a subtly tangible critique, we primarily convey agency along the recycling theme in an accessible, interactive and gamified way for young users.

The installation consists of two parts: the claw machine ensemble and the sorting and recycling area.

Three claw machines will be placed according to the spatial conditions. Each machine can have screens mounted at the top to visually reinforce specific messages and positions with animations. Colorful moving lights are installed on and within the machines, visually enhancing the space and creating a carnival atmosphere. A soundscape, featuring fairground noises and specially recorded recycling-themed ride announcements, are played.

The claw machines operate with special coins provided by us, which are be distributed by personnel. There’s also an option to set the machines to accept regular coins, although we do not recommend this.

The sorting and recycling area follows the retrieval of plastic packaging from the claw machines. Here, visitors inspect their “catch” and determine the type of plastic using a magnifying glass or scanner, then deposit it into the correct bin. This completes the interaction. An especially curated wall displays examples of products using recycled plastics

Additionally, visitors have the opportunity to recycle sorted plastics directly onsite in a straightforward manner. DIY bicycle shredders and manual injection molding machines operated by trained staff will be available. Visitors can thus create their own small products, souvenirs, or giveaways.

We started in 2023 together with the Team of the Childrens Biennial to create a concept for the topic “Planet Utopia”. It was special, because next to the professional curators of the exhibition there was an advisory board consisting of around 30 children. They picked the artworks and wrote the gallery texts. For this selection process we had build models and created images to explain our concept and idea.