The Utzon Center will open its doors for the Waste Wonderland exhibition from July 1 to August 25, 2025. Here, you will experience how our waste transforms into new potential.
From waste to beautiful and functional design – this is the theme of the Waste Wonderland exhibition, which will open at the Utzon Center on July 1.
Here, both established and new Danish designers and architects explore how industrial waste materials can be turned into beautiful and functional products.
In the exhibition, you can experience prototypes of furniture, lamps, and interior design. How would a modern door look if made from discarded wood with knots? Can we celebrate discarded leather with wrinkles and scars? And what design possibilities lie in dented ceiling panels?
What if the dents aren’t flaws?
In the ‘ReshapeWaste’ project, designer Mikkel Huse has turned our perception of small imperfections in ceiling panels upside down.
During production or dismantling, some panels may get small dents or marks that would normally lead to them being discarded. Instead of dismissing them as waste, Mikkel has chosen to view them as a new design surface.
Inspired by the ocean’s undulating movements, he has developed a 3D-printed form that presses over the damaged panels. The result is a lively, wavy texture that not only conceals the dents but transforms them into a visual statement.
A sustainable design approach that breathes new life into what would otherwise be thrown away.
About the exhibition
The Waste Wonderland exhibition presents selected prototypes from the research project ‘ReshapeWaste’, supported by Aalborg University and the Industry Foundation. The project addresses the 1.1 million tons of industrial waste generated annually in Denmark by asking the question: Can design be one of the keys to utilizing leftover materials that would otherwise go to waste?
Danish designers, architects, and a range of forward-thinking manufacturing companies collaborated to create the reserach experiments, all aiming to reduce waste.
Exhibition Highlights
- Get an insight into materials that are currently discarded – and why
- Explore the design journey from waste material to new product
- See numerous prototypes ranging from furniture and lamps to doors
- Test your own creativity and create an object from waste materials
