A playground from garbage
For Daniele Pario Perra, “low cost” does not have to mean cheap. Instead, the artist focuses on the most efficient use of resources, ranging from materials and energy to invested efforts.
While normally associated with low quality, low cost does not have to be shoddy: A sole focus on cost often ignores the added cultural value of human capital. Capital contained in the work of craftsmen, that is, who supply us with indispensable goods and services – even in a largely industrialized world.
For the past twelve years, Italian artist Daniele Pario Perra has scoured all of Europe for examples of what he calls “spontaneous creativity.” Intrigued by ingenious solutions for everyday problems, based on few resources and easily available materials, he has also conducted several workshops and lectures on this matter, culminating in the publication of two books that catalogue a tremendous amount of inventions.
Now, The Low Cost Design Park takes his work one step further by turning his research into practice as part of a collaboration with the Abadir Academy of Fine Arts and the Farm Cultural Park. Their stated objective: to reclaim urban wasteland and transform it into public gardens, designed and realized by local citizens. Working with the youngest generation, via a series of child-friendly workshops, the resulting playground made the most of reusing common objects and remodeling them for a variety of new purposes, juxtaposed with easily recyclable materials – without ever compromising on innovation, ingenuity, or imagination.
Read the full article at Bettery Magazine.