Nika Zupanc resurrects discarded truck tyres into a colourful cable bench

Gentle Touch of re-Waste was a collective display of public and urban design, curated by Rossana Orlandi with the artistic direction of architect Lucio Micheletti. The curated display which was welcomed to the ‘somewhat forgotten’ garden at the Rossana Orlandi Gallery commemorated the legendary exhibition space for its 20th anniversary. The event was adorned with multiple exhibits displaying not just products but also the visions of international designers on a sustainable future based on the theme of re-Waste material. “It seems that this year is the 20th anniversary of my gallery. I don't want to think about it. I only decline time to the future. I cannot, however, not think about how much Milan has given me. The time has come for restitution, reciprocity, the gentle gesture,” shares Rossana Orlandi upon the conception and curation of the exhibition.

The product and interior designer Nika Zupanc contributed to the collective display alongside many other prolific names from the world of design including Mario Bellini, Matteo Cibic, Michele De Lucchi, Luciano Galimberti, Micheletti + Partners, Paola Navone, Roberto+ Ludovica Palomba and Patricia Urquiola among others. Harnessing the scope of creativity in industrial waste, Nica created the ‘Cables Bench’ that features two discarded tyre trucks draped in colourful wires bringing deteriorated industrial waste products together to form an object of functionality.

The cables bench is a result of a search for an idea where discarded materials get a second chance and a second life by simply putting them together in an unexpected manner, creating a wonderful and surprising object that gives these distracted materials new use and new emotional ergonomics through the use of the gentle re-waste principle. The result is an outdoor bench that in its colourful outburst reminds us of the power of creativity and beauty, that can be achieved with the most primal, hands-on design methods and approach, that tackles the essence of our contribution and responsibility to our contemporary society.