YOKOHAMA CIRCULAR DESIGN MUSEUM exhibits at Hoshiten qlay

Mobile Museum YOKOHAMA CIRCULAR DESIGN MUSEUM is back to promote wonderful circular products in Yokohama city. Lead organizer, Circular Yokohama, Harch’s online platform that aims to promote the circular economy in Yokohama, has set up an exhibition at qlaytion gallery of Honshiten qlay to allow citizens to discover the circular economy in Yokohama city. A collection of 30 handpicked circular products will be on display from 2 February to 31 March.

The theme for this exhibition is “Playful Circularity,” conveying the message that circularity can be fun and cool. The organizers want the exhibition to be a place where visitors can experience circularity as though they are playing. And through that play, they will discover the importance of resources and the charm of Yokohama’s circularity.

What can you expect to see at the exhibition? Here are some exciting highlights:

Kankara Sanshin, made from waste materials

This classic Okinawan musical instrument is made from non-classical materials. This Sanshin is made from discarded materials like empty candy cans, created by residents from Kotobuki town in Yokohama and Kotobuki Collaboration Space. You can try playing with it at the exhibition!

Upcycled coffee art by Shinichi Nakata

The artwork is brought to us by artist Shinichi Nakata, a Japanese-style painter and sculptor. It gives us a new perspective by demonstrating how new value can be added to discarded things through art.

Recycled bags made from scraps of paper and socks

Taking wrappings of copy paper and scraps of colorful socks, students of Kanazawa School for the Handicapped upcycle them into these bags. It is a part of the students’ career education, of which the students train their specialties through making.

buøy crafts made from plastic waste

buøy asks us to examine our wasteful use of plastics. They display this through their beautifully crafted goods that are upcycled from marine plastic, showing that plastic may not be the issue, but it is our wasteful consumption patterns that need to change.

Coco & K. fair trade bags upcycled from juice packs

You can easily identify Coco & K.’s products through their colorful patterns. These bags are made by upcycling aluminum packs of used fruit juices in Philippines. The activities support employment and education while reducing waste.

solarcrew’s power-generating solar table

Doubling as a solution to the problem of mass disposal of solar panels, this upcycled table uses discarded solar panels as its top and generates electricity that is stored in a battery connected to it.

PET bottle cap table

This table’s legs and top plate are made from 6,000 PET bottle caps. While its presence exudes an air of innovative plastic recycling, it is also proof of resource recycling limited only by our imagination.

Details for YOKOHAMA CIRCULAR DESIGN MUSEUM:

• Date: 2 February – 31 March 2023
• Venue: Hoshiten qlay B Zone, qlaytion gallery (Hoshikawa Station 2nd floor)
• Address: B-2-7, 1-1-1 Hoshikawa, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture (Google Map)
• Opening Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 1 pm – 5:30 pm (Product purchase only available on Mondays and Tuesdays)
• Closed on: Wednesday, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (see Instagram for details)
• Admission fee: Free

[Website] YOKOHAMA CIRCULAR DESIGN MUSEUM (in Japanese)
[Instagram] @qlaytion_gallery Instagram
[Reference] Circular Yokohama