Thomas Egoumenides
︎︎︎ Designer & Visual artist ︎︎︎RASCAL RESIDENCIES
2020/2021 - Tunis, Tunisia
Rascal (tunisian) reuse, use again, (english) used to describe a mischievous person. From the old French rescaille, variant of rebut, what one has rejected.
How to alter the classical uses of an object at the end of its cycle? How does crossbreeding varieties of waste from everyday life form a new language?
Rascal is a laboratory of design and poetization of waste material.
During two residencies with L’Art Rue, between 2020 and 2021, the Tunis-based French architect and designer Thomas Egoumenides develops an ephemeral laboratory named Rascal, for the design and valorization of wasted materials. These residencies housed in the heart of the medina of Tunis bring together six, then four young people – Akram Mahjoubi, Hatem El Fethi, Raed Gnichi and Youssef Mechichi. They are initiated to upcycling and design through an experimental approach based on the “pedagogy of error”. An empowering approach where you get to learn by trying, experimenting and adjusting to your needs.
“ The objective is to act before the recycling stage. To take advantage of the material and its existing qualities by trying to modify it a minimum. What remains is a simple approach that bears witness to the history of the materials and objects. ”
Rascal in 160 days, 6 heads and 12 hands, as well as the immense support of L'Art Rue :
Mapping of different waste materials at the end of their cycle present in the territory of the Medina of Tunis.
Development of a participatory methodology for creating design objects.
Development of over 20 design collections that are 100% upcycled.
Implementation of training days for the team and meetings with local actors in the sector.
Creation of workshops for the public focused on the upcycling of waste materials.
Video and photographic archiving of the residency experience.
Creation of technical sheets and open-source videos for the public to reproduce the collections.
Establishment of a media platform for daily sharing of the Rascal experience via Instagram.
Photo and video shooting studio for the collections developed during the residency.
Three-day exhibition (December 2020) where each of the two hundred visitors could leave with an object produced by Rascal.
Fifteen days of exhibition (200m²) and upcycling workshops from October 8 to 24, 2021.
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The Rascal Residence is supported in 2020-2021 by Dignity - Danish Institute Against Torture.