Michelle Brand
Is an eco designer maker based in Manchester, England. Her work is in direct response to environmental problems and inspiration evolves from the unseen beauty of everyday objects.
Once a plastic drinks bottle is empty it is perceived as redundant and is throw away. I wanted to challenge this wasteful paradigm
Her designs extend the aesthetic life of a mass produced object by giving it a second use. In addition this body of work highlights societies throw away culture and the need to provide additional resources for recycling within our cities. Every bottle base in her designs represents a bottle that has been creatively diverted away from landfill. The beauty of her designs is not only its aesthetic quality but also the importance and development of closed sustainable feed back loops. Michelle supports the philosophy of slow design, which is the counter balance for todays fast consumer society.
She sustains her practice through her own local plastic collection round and has been supported by Wishing Well Restaurant at St Mary’s Hospital, 8th Day Café Oxford Road, MCFC and the Special Feeds Unit at Pendlebury Children’s Hospital. If you’re wondering what happens to the rest of the bottle? She has a close working relationship with Emerge Recycling based in East Manchester.
Her product range consists of lampshades, window screens, room dividers decorative LED indoor lights and cards. Michelle has exhibited Nationally and been commissioned Internationally. She has recently received the Gold Award in the Environmental section of British Female Inventors and Innovators Awards 2007.