"Reprise" is attracting attention for its unique creations that give new value to plastic. From June 1st to 30th, the special exhibition "Reprise: Life Extension" was held at the "GALLERY" on the 4th floor.

"Reprise" is a plastic recycling business established by the husband and wife team of web designers and directors Genki and Sayoko Takayama, based in Kirishima City, Kagoshima. The opportunity to start their business came when they encountered the Dutch open source project "Precious Plastic."

Genki Takayama: Dutch designer Dave Hackens has invented a machine that can recycle plastic, and has made the blueprints and know-how available online for free. Our activities began when we tried to make one based on the blueprints. "Precious Plastic" has spread around the world, and in Japan it has been used to create jobs for people with disabilities. We want to use the power of design to create crafts using waste plastic as a material.

Genki Takayama from "Reprise". He also held Shop using plastic bottle caps at the "Earth Good Marche".

The works on display in the exhibition look like pottery and paintings, and at first glance do not appear to be plastic.

Genki-san: I find it purely enjoyable to reinvent discarded items into something more valuable. Plastic is also a natural material made from petroleum. I treat it as a material, just like clay or glass for ceramics, and create my works with it.

However, we will continue this activity until 2030. If we extract hydrogen and carbon from plastic, we can use it as fuel. I think that in the near future, it will definitely be used as fuel. I want to create valuable crafts from the plastic we have now that people will want to preserve forever. Plastic is mass-produced, and the same things are made uniformly, but if you make each one by hand with care, I think it will lead to attachment.

Special Exhibition "Reprise - Life Extension"

Beautiful and useful crafts

We want to create things that we can put our heart and soul into, like crafts. The items on display at the special exhibition "Reprise: Life Extension" were made with this idea in mind. We are challenging ourselves to create works that are highly artistic, yet also practical.

Genki-san: We are currently working on making plates made from waste plastic usable for eating by applying industrial lacquer and food-safe resin. First, we make the base for the plate, then carve and polish it, but it feels strangely wood-like to the touch. It can be used as a cutting board as well as a tableware.

en -Recycled synthetic resin disc-. A recycled plastic plate with a diameter of 28 cm and a thickness of about 1 cm. The surface is coated with food hygiene-compliant resin so that it can be used as a plate. During the event, an application was submitted for tableware conformity testing.

Each piece has its own expression and a unique presence.

The colorful and cute mimic is also used as a coaster at Hyssop, the restaurant on the 4th floor of GOOD NATURE STATION.

"mimic" coaster used at Hyssop

Genki-san: To recycle materials, we mixed in plastic, paper, and wood sawdust used on construction sites. Once they have deteriorated and are no longer useful as coasters, they can be reused as solid fuel to increase the combustion efficiency.

Scrap wood from the Shop was collected and turned into lampshades.

The colorful lampshades that caught the eye of the audience were made from scraps from the "Earth GOOD Marche" Shop, where participants made original sheets using plastic bottle caps. The light shines through them, and they are so beautiful that you can't help but stare at them. The Shop on making accessories using the caps also produced lovely finished products that looked like glass beads, and were a big hit with the participants.

"Reprise" shows us a bright future for plastics. It breaks the cycle of disposable use, connects to the future, and extends its life. The possibilities are endless.