News

Resource: Rise Again - our new project for 2016

The Resource: Rise Again is now live!  For more details please see the project page.

Film about Whole House Reuse

We are delighted to share this stunning film by Julian Vares about Whole House Reuse. This tells some of the story of the project, of a home that would have otherwise gone to waste but was instead turned into hundreds of beautifully crafted artifacts.

Whole House Reuse involved the entire material of a single home, otherwise destined for waste, being deconstructed and transformed into beautiful and purposeful artefacts. Nearly 400 objects have been created by reusing every single piece of 19 Admirals Way, a 1920’s weatherboard home in New Brighton, Christchurch, which was scheduled for demolition in 2013. This celebrates design and craft as highly valuable tools that can address wasted resources.

Over 250 people from around New Zealand and the world have invented ways of reusing these resources and the result is a huge collection of objects from a delicately carved taonga puoro by master carver Brian Flintoff, to a finely crafted backyard studio by artist Nic Moon and architectural designer Lyn Russell. The exhibition showcased original works by some of the country’s finest designers and craftspeople, school children, students, retired experts, and community organisations like Kilmarnock Enterprises. 

The project culminated in an exhibition in the Special Exhibitions Hall at Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand for 3 months from early June 2015. Over 120,000 people visited the exhibition and we have been amazed at how many of these visitors have talked about the degree of emotion in their experience of the exhibit. People particularly described the impact of seeing such a large volume and diversity of careful and creative work made from materials so often forgotten and discarded. We are thankful to Canterbury Museum for making this possible, and feel deeply heartened that this project has touched and inspired people towards a greater level of resourcefulness. 

Auckland Waterfront Pop-up December 2014

Rekindle is excited to be in Auckland running a pop-up shop on Te Wero Island on the waterfront.

Located in between the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter, neighbouring the popular community library, Rekindle's latest pop-up is based in a shipping container, showcasing a variety of products from both Christchurch and Auckland designers, all made from wasted materials. These include planters, clothing, furniture, jewellery, books and Christmas tree decorations made from timber offcuts.

The fitout of the 20 foot container has been produced in collaboration with Dragonbox, a group of four Auckland based designers who have been working with Rekindle in Auckland this year. The interior makes use of wasted lengths of exhibition carpet and plywood offcuts, that would otherwise be destined for landfill.

With support from Auckland Council, Rekindle will also be presenting information to the public about waste minimisation in relation to the Council's goal of zero waste in Auckland by 2040. This will showcase local social enterprises working towards this goal and will include Waterfront Auckland's focus on reuse of materials. Rekindle is hopeful that this popup will ignite discussion around the exciting possibilities that waste minimisation brings to Auckland city's development, environment and culture. 

Initially focused on diverting timber from waste within residential demolition in postearthquake Christchurch, Rekindle's work has now expanded beyond timber to a much wider scope of undervalued materials, including construction and industrial waste. Rekindle sees design as the tool that unlocks the qualities of resources which are so often ignored when viewed as waste. Rekindle also works to create a market for these products. As a social enterprise the majority of profits are dedicated to furthering development of this work.

Retail information:

A range of Rekindle homewares, jewellery, furniture, Christmas decorations and other items will be available for purchase from 6th to 23rd December 2014 Sunday to Thursday 10am – 5.30pm and Friday & Saturday 10.00am – 6.00pm.

Te Wero Island, Eastern Viaduct, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland.

Cash and eftpos facilities available.

Hope to see you there!

End of the first Christchurch collection

The time has come where the first range of limited edition products we've been lovingly making here in Christchurch has sadly come to and end. We've found over the last while the supply of material has changed as demolition practices have changed. Working with waste as our supply means we have to be ready to change tack and respond to what is available or needs to be addressed, and so it is time to look at new waste streams, and that means new materials and designs. We know there is more than enough potential innovation in New Zealand to transform waste into reuse, and it is this alchemy we work to encourage.

For the next short while we will be selling our remaining stock and fulfilling current orders, and beyond that we'll be waiting for the new collection of products to appear from the Christchurch workshop, and we're very excited about that. We still have a few pieces of furniture left so please contact info@rekindle.org.nz with any enquiries.

So please keep an eye out for a new collection of products as the talented makers and designers here bring them out. We are excited to be working on a set of materials provided by Housing New Zealand and that will feature strongly in our new Christchurch work.  And please watch for developments in Auckland too.

All in all Rekindle will keep on flowing wasted resources to those that value and transform these. We hope you will continue to support the innovation of the creatives we work with. By doing so you enable the reuse and diversion of valuable resources from landfill.

Below, beautiful new products made from Auckland's waste streams: Crackle Tubs by Clark Bardsley Design made from MDF and plywood offcuts from Cut Shop, Mt Wellington. On Raised Platform by 6x4 made from pallet timber, with Bunting by Emma Byrne from Rekindle Christchurch from interior timbers salvaged from homes now demolished. Photography by Evie Mackay. 

Auckland Design Series launch 14th October 2014

The Offcut Series Presents: Annelies Zwaan

A collection of work by Annelies Zwaan.

Opening on May 1st, 6pm in our Gallery at 35 New Regent St.

The Offcut Series Presents: Phil Hart

Come and celebrate a new collection of work by Phil Hart.

Opening on Thursday 10th April at 5.30pm in our gallery space at 35 New Regent Street.

Design Round 2 begins for Whole House Reuse

Whole House Reuse : Design

The launch of the second stage of Whole House Reuse: Design, and the book that celebrates the first stage Whole House Reuse: Deconstruction.

In association with Rekindle, Whole House Reuse is asking creatives throughout the country to transform the entire material of one modest red-zoned home in Christchurch into purposeful, beautiful works. We invite you to the launch of the Design stage where we will be releasing the design brief, along with a publication that commemorates and captures the previous Deconstruction stage of the project. This contains the entire catalogue of resources available for transformation.

The book 'Whole House Reuse: Deconstruction' will be available for purchase at $40.00, or $48.00 for book and Design stage registration, or $20.00 for the digital version of catalogue of resources. 

This book has been made possible by support from the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust (SIFT) who provide financial assistance to innovative Canterbury based waste minimisation projects. www.sift.net.nz

The Auricle

We're very excited to have finished the fit-out for the wine bar at The Auricle Christchurch's new sonic arts gallery. 
Much gratitude for the awesome craftsmanship of Tim McGurk, Ben Nicholls, Guy Hooker and Phil Hart who all had a part in getting completing the unique Rekindle offcut-covered bar. And as always James Jagger has made a beautiful set of Rekindle chairs for the wine bar (yet to open). 

Come in and see us The Auricle and the Rekindle shop at 35 New Regent Street Christchurch. Open 10am to 6pm, 6 days per week, closed on Mondays.

Photo: Naomi Haussmann