In celebration of Earth Day, one group seeks to put a twist on the way you view trash.
The Fuse Factory Electronic and Digital Arts Lab will have a Trash Fashion Show from 12 to 7:00 p.m. Saturday at Goodale Park as a part of the first “Now Get Busy!” Earth Day festival.
“This is our very first one, and we think it is a great way to combine environmentalist ideals, recycling, wearable technology, and creativity,” said Dr. Alison Colman, founder and executive director of The Fuse Factory.
The group is a non-profit arts organization, that teaches workshops on processing and web design and hosts various art exhibits.
Colman said they partnered with the Green Festival, hosted by Green Columbus to invite people to take a closer look at the environment in a fun way.
“It’s not the cleanest way to get to design fashion,” said Jennifer Deafenbaugh, the marketing director for the show.
We’re actually sorting through garbage and styling an outfit.”
People can sign up as a team to participate in the Trash Fashion Show, and there will also be a competition for children. Deafenbaugh said the Fuse Factory’s primary goal is engage the community in something hands-on that most people take for granted every day and throw away.
“There are things that people throw out that they could very well reuse,” Deafenbaugh said.
She said while recycling is good, it requires a lot of time and thus re-purposing items could be a better way to be eco-friendly.
Dr. Susann Moeller, the vice president of Fuse Factory and former executive director of an arts council and a watershed protection organization, said professional designers will be at the site to help participants turn their trash into a wearable design. The crowd will judge the best look with the most innovative use of materials.
“No one has to bring in anything since we’ll dig right into what the pick-up crew bring in that morning,” Moeller said.
Deafenbaugh said she thinks the country is at a point where too many people have too many possessions and need to make better use of them.
“People just throw items away after using it once and even trash clothes that they could easily donate,” she said.
The Fuse Factory members said that by exposing more people to different ways to reappropriate old goods, their group will have a tremendous impact on the community. They said the event should encourage more to wear recyclables instead of donning recyclable wearables.
“This event will truly show how art, science and technology can blend together, which is what the Fuse Factory is all about,” Moeller said.
Heather Hope can be reached at [email protected].
