UNDISPOSED

Rooted in waste, circularity, and DIY culture, UNDISPOSED is about finding value in places of excess. Rejecting “single-use”, I’ve explored how LDPE plastic can be refined into long-lasting, personally valuable items, that far exceed original material intentions, and shift perceptions of possibility.

For the past 10 months, I’ve been playing with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), aka single-use plastic. It’s a material made in mass, and despite it claims to be recyclable, very little of it actually is. I refused to believe that this material can only be used a “single” time.

For the past 10 months, I’ve been playing with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), aka single-use plastic. It’s a material made in mass, and despite it claims to be recyclable, very little of it actually is. I refused to believe that this material can only be used a “single” time.

After only a couple of minutes of research, I found what I was looking for. What I’m doing is not new, people have been making with material for years, and mostly with everyday tools. All that’s really needed is an iron, parchment paper, and cutting tools. It doesn’t require special knowledge or experience and is safe when done correctly. A true DIY practice.

Enter: wallet

It took me about 45 minutes to make the first one. It was rough, kinda weird, and I love it. This was back in June 2024 and I still use it to this day.

This wallet was meant to show what was possible with this practice, spark conversation, and give me a way to easily show people what I was on about. Maybe because I made it so quickly, and it was literally made of garbage, but I was always surprised by how people responded to it. They’re always surprised by what it’s made of, and even more shocked by how I did it. It’s so easy that anyone can do it!

Enter: community

I love DIY. I love making, learning, and using the things I make. I’m not exclusive in these thoughts, quite the opposite, and I wanted to share this new exciting work that I ways doing. I’m also familiar with the power of craft, and that if people made their own wallets, they would appreciate it on another level.

So, how do I share this? There’s a few ways: 1.Blog/forum. An outdated practice, nor did it feel like it’d be fun
2. Social media. I hate social media and didn’t want to spend time on it
3. Workshop. This was the obvious answer, a way for me to personally help people with it, make connections, and share my passion

Enter: Arc’teryx

I’d been working for Arc’teryx in store for close to a year and heard that similar events were happening out east. So, I approached my store with the idea of hosting an event at the store. I was met with a huge amount of support.

Now I just had to figure out how I was going to do it.

I won’t bore you with the details, but there was unexpected amount of work that needed to be done. I spent a few months planning and prepping for it, and trying to imagine how it will go.

On April 2^nd, the first event took place. This night was for fellow internal Arc’teryx people that I’ve met and have shown interest in my work. It was a great opportunity to run a smaller scale event in a more casual setting to see how things play out.

It was an awesome night, and happily everyone had a blast!

The original plan was always to bring the public in, and on April 30^th, we did just that. On April 14^th, a post went live on the Arc’teryx BC account, with a sign-up link, and in about an hour it sold out.