Postdiscardism in Practice

Postdiscardism Unpacked

Sometimes, the universe aligns, and several pieces of work come together to form a complete picture, a bit like Voltron or Captain Planet from back in the day. Since 2018, ReMida has created a series of artworks, delivered a bunch of festivals and crafted four FRINGE shows by applying its arts and materials philosophy to the various works. During some development work for an upcoming project, it became necessary to define our creative practice so we could describe it to people who knew either very little or nothing about ReMida. And thus, Postdiscardism came to be.

What is it?

Postdiscardism, a growing art movement, provokes artists to use non-traditional

materials to create art, which is temporary and prioritises the ongoing reuse of the materials used in its creation. There are five core principles underlie this movement:

1. Non-destructive - the materials are preserved (if possible) in their original state.

2. Impermency  - The design focuses on l deconstruction of the pieces.

3. Harmony  - The colour, texture and form of materials shape the primary colour palette

4. Documentation – The documentation becomes the enduring aspect of the work.

5. Adaption - The difference between the idea and the temperament of the materials pushes the creative process in unexpected directions.

Do you have an example?

If you have visited ReMida recently or followed our Facebook page, you will likely

have seen our giant King Midas puppet from this year's FRINGE show. The materials to build the puppet came from a series of previous builds, like the wood that we repurposed from the Storyteller's Garden held at PICA in August, as well as previous costumes, set dressings, and smaller prop builds from our previous FRINGE show. We bought some new wood lengths that formed the puppet's core structure to ensure it was safe for both the puppeteers and the audience as they interacted with it during the show. Roughly 95% of the build came from discarded, repurposed items, and 5% was new material to ensure its infrastructure was solid.

This week, we dismantled the puppet to make space for our subsequent outside

installation and exhibition at ReMida. During the deconstruction phase, we found that weather and insect damage made some materials unsafe to reuse. With the soft fabrics, it was necessary to run these through the washing machine to ensure they were clean and safe for use next year. Some materials, like the foam and underlying fabrics, were still in excellent condition and went back on the shelves for members to collect, alongside some of the smaller wood pieces. The breakdown of the dismantling process is:

· 85% of the puppet is being deep cleaned and stored for next year.

· 10% of the underlying materials are back on the shelves for members.

·  5% is unfortunately on its way to either be recycled or be put in a landfill.

As we rebuild the puppet for next year, we will apply what we learned from 2024 and strive towards a zero-waste build. Depending on the weather and the time it is on display, we can hopefully reduce the amount of unusable material.

How does Postdiscardism shape other workshops, programs and builds?

ReMida's creative practice has many different expressions, and not all harmonise with a Postdiscardm methodology, which is okay. We aim to develop and share this approach to expand people's imagination about the possibilities that Postdiscardism can bring into the broader creative toolbox. When ReMida undertakes a festival or commission, we focus on creating beautiful, purposeful works that have a life beyond the initial creative event. Material can be reused, the artwork or display transformed, and it can have a life beyond its first iteration as a final work.

The methodology is imperfect, and we continually look for ways to minimise waste and the broader environmental impacts of our builds. However, we have a creative methodology that pushes our creativity towards a zero-waste goal.

If you have ever collected wood, fabric, foam, bulldog clips, woodscrews or cardboard tubes from ReMida, you have likely walked away with a vital piece from a previous artwork. As we move into our artist-in-residence season and our next ReMida showcase, some great examples of Postdiscardsim will be on display. We'd also love to see the pieces that you are making, tag ReMida Perth on Facebook and Instagram so we can share the inspiration with others.