Curated by Sarah of Earthli Projects, The Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in Birmingham presented Rubbish Redesigned, a group exhibition exploring imaginative approaches to circular design and waste innovation. Launching alongside the Design Museum’s Waste Age: What Can Design Do?, this showcase highlights the ingenuity of designers and artists from the West Midlands who are rethinking waste materials in bold and inventive ways.

Rubbish Redesigned spotlights creative uses of common waste materials, transforming them into functional and artistic innovations. From orange peel to cow manure, the exhibition challenges conventional ideas of waste, demonstrating how discarded materials can be reimagined into valuable resources. The exhibition features works by notable artists and designers, including Rachael Colley, Rhys Ellis, Foresso, Studio Mafa, Danielle Phelps, and Molly Ratcliffe, each contributing unique perspectives on sustainable material practices.

Running alongside Rubbish Redesigned, the Waste Age: What Can Design Do? exhibition—presented in collaboration with the Design Museum—explores how a new generation of designers is tackling the global waste crisis. Spanning industries such as fashion, food, electronics, and construction, the exhibition examines the environmental impact of consumption and offers alternative models for a circular economy.

Together, Rubbish Redesigned and Waste Age: What Can Design Do? offer visitors a powerful narrative about our relationship with waste, demonstrating that sustainability is not just a necessity but an opportunity for creativity and innovation. The exhibitions invite audiences to rethink their role in a circular economy and explore tangible solutions for a cleaner, more regenerative future.