Born of the desire to give a second life to everyday waste, discarded objects and that which is left behindc
ACE HOTEL SEASONAL DECORATIONS
The seasonal decorations in the Ace Hotel Sydney are a collaboration abstract painter Jo Nolan.
Born of the desire to give a second life to everyday waste, discarded objects and that which is left behind, this project reclaims beauty for the overlooked and celebrates living sustainably by using the resources we already have. The aim is to work consciously through reuse and upcycling to reimagine new uses for materials which would otherwise end up in landfill. The project is grounded through a consciousness about materiality making objects by hand transforming urban waste into abstracted forms to mark the festive season in a sustainable way.
Universally there is a strong connection between human festivals and the cycles of renewal of the earth and celestial patterns. Ancient pagan festivals such as Saturnalia in the Roman Empire which together with Nordic, Celtic and Germanic customs have fed most directly into modern day Christmas traditions. These festivals evolved to mark the Solstice or the re-emergence of light.
Both designer and artist have worked this way intuitively since childhood, using found objects as materials. A recent public expression of this way of working occurred when a small group of friends banded together to make costumes for the Sydney LGBTQA+ Mardi Gras using refuse found on the streets of Sydney. Materials such as pedestal fans, insulation tubing, umbrella frames pool inflatables and discarded plastic waste were salvaged and reused. The group marched for some years under the name “Use Me Up Wear Me Out” and will appear in the 2023 parade as the “Fabulous Queer Upcyclers”
The decorations made for the Ace Hotel Sydney, the design of which is itself an example of architectural reuse, are a nod to sustainability, maximalism, exuberance and joy.
