AFTERLIFE™ X Douglas Young Art Exhibition
AFTERLIFE™ is an initiative introduced by the Sports for Hope Foundation to raise the consciousness of sustainability through various sports games. This first project of AFTERLIFE™ is a collaboration with G.O.D.'s co-founder, Douglas Young, to give birth to a series of pieces of art furniture using abandoned tennis balls collected across Hong Kong. All proceeds generated go towards the many charitable causes of the Foundation.
Exhibiton Opening on 17 July 2022
Currently, 11 pieces from the collection of uniquely designed art furniture are on display at the G/F of the Lee Theatre Plaza until 31 July 2022 (10:00-22:00). There are also social media giveaways through their Instagram @afterlife.hk so be sure to follow them.
Opening event at Lee Theatre
Douglas Young & Marie-Christine Lee-Louey
Why recycle tennis balls?
Marie-Christine Lee-Louey highlighted that an average of 10,000 tennis balls were used and discarded during a single Grand Slam tournament. AFTERLIFE™ hope to ensure we do not just extract the good and leave damaging waste. Check out the video produced by REN Studios for this project.
There's AFTERLIFE™ for tennis balls...
Carry the energy and thrill of the match to the finish, upcycling tennis balls into works of art that lasts well beyond the games. Check out the exhibition video produced by the G.O.D. team.
Why Art Furniture?
Creative designing is rarely, if ever, a straightforward process. When asked to create something with tennis balls, Douglas did not think of furniture immediately but had to reflect on how to recycle or upcycle them. Given used tennis balls are not equated with cleanliness, using them for clothing or accessories may not be the best idea. Separated from it by layers of clothing, furniture is much easier to accept.
Seeing the final designs may seem very intuitive, but there was a lot of trial and error. Douglas had to consider both aesthetics and stability. Ultimately, he wanted to have unique items that were art pieces. Practicality was not the highest priority as he aimed to put together something eye-catching and unique that would be desirable.
Experimenting with Designs
Concept prototype
Testing different bonding material
Early attempts with bags
Bean bag style prototypes
Racket and bag prototype
Visit the Exhibition
Please support the cause!
AFTERLIFE™
Instagram: @afterlife.hk
Sports for Hope Foundation
Instagram: @sports_for_hope_foundation
Website: www.sportsforhopefoundation.org.hk