The world is drastically changing, and it’s affecting the way we live and function. However, the irony is that the world is drastically changing because of our unhealthy practices and us! It’s now imperative to live more sustainably, carefully, and consciously. Integrating sustainability into our day-to-day lives has become crucial. I’m all for swapping my everyday mass-produced products for recycled or sustainable alternatives, but this is the first time I’ve come across something as unique as ‘E-metabolism’.
Designer: Andra Formen
Designed by Andra Formen, a design studio based in Malmö, Sweden, the E-metabolism is a unique and innovative collection of table lamps, indoor garden systems, seating, floor lamps, and a grill made from the salvaged and recycled elements of e-scooters. The studio took it upon itself to research how electric scooters could be recycled into various smaller products. The E-metabolism collection was produced by four designers of the studio’s team along with two divers, who dived into the murky canals of Malmö to salvage electric scooters that had been carelessly discarded. The parts were disassembled to explore their possibilities and utility.
“Our mission is to turn toxic waste in the form of electric scooters from the bottom of the canal into pieces of art,” says Oskar Olsson of Andra Formen. E-metabolism is an effort on the part of the studio to utilize existing waste as resources to build with. “With the project, we investigate how electric scooters can be seen as materials and how their inherent design can create inspiration for new objects. Built of ancient skeletons and artifacts,” concludes Olsson.
The scooters used in the project were collected from remote areas in and around the canals, where they were discovered in a broken state, or in states of disrepair. The design studio transformed the broken-down vehicles into brand new designs with a recycled chic appearance, although certain pieces such as the floor lamp and the desk lamps have a more raw and ragtag style, which intrigues you with their colorful and evocative visual appeal. The E-metabolism collection is on display online, and you can inquire about purchasing them if you’re interested.
