Industrial Design program's annual ReMade project debuts May 17 at Ideal in downtown Bellingham

Western's Industrial Design program will once again partner with Ideal, a local design shop, to present “ReMade: Celebration,” an annual project by Professor of Engineering & Design Arūnas Ošlapas and his students to create new items from discarded materials

Opening night for this year's ReMade project is Friday, May 17, from 6-9 p.m. at Ideal, at 1227 Cornwall Ave. in downtown Bellingham.

This year’s theme, "Celebration," features 13 unique products that revere the human experience and enrich daily needs with a touch of festivity. The goal is to transform items of industrial and consumer waste into viable commercial products.

Students start with various materials, from which ideas are generated and refined into a final design. Then, production begins; students are tasked with manufacturing a collection of pieces. Subsequently, they are put on display and sold at Ideal in downtown Bellingham.

The 2024 collection includes items (pictured) such as ‘Bud’ vases made from discarded bottles and scrap wood by Anika Martinet; ‘Patch’ placemats made from fabric sample books by Marta Aznar Trénor; ‘Prisma’ pendant lights made from vintage glassware by Terra Sullivan; ‘Recut’ turntables made from quartz countertop offcuts by Griffin Downey; ‘Weft’ multi-use mats made from landfill-bound textiles by Eli Braverman, and ‘AL’ versatile desk vessels made from discarded aluminum pipe and champagne corks by Arthur Hamilton.

For more information about the ReMade project, contact Arūnas Ošlapas at arunas.oslapas@wwu.edu.

The image shows a handwoven rag rug made of recycled materials. The rug has a striped pattern in brown, yellow, blue, and red. The edges of the rug are frayed and uneven. The rug is lying on a white background.

A small, silver-colored metal vase with a cork bottom holds a sprig of white baby's breath. The vase is placed on a white background, which makes the baby's breath appear to be floating in space. The image is simple and elegant, and the baby's breath adds a touch of whimsy.

A small brown glass bud vase holds several stems of lavender. The lavender has purple flowers and green stems and leaves. The vase is made of recycled glass and has a wooden base. The vase is sitting on a white table or surface. The background is white.

The image is a round black marble disc. The marble has white and gold veins. The table is smooth and polished. It is sitting on a white background.

The image shows a stack of fabric swatches. The swatches are mostly blue and white, with some gray and brown. The patterns include solids, stripes, plaids, and florals. The swatches are arranged in a fan shape, with the largest swatch on the bottom and the smallest swatch on the top.

The image shows a handmade glass pendant lamp. It consists of two glass shades - a clear ribbed glass shade and a brown ruffled glass shade. The shades are attached to each other with a metal ring. The lamp is suspended from a black cord. The light bulb is located inside the brown glass shade and is turned on, casting a warm glow.