Science theatre on textile and electronic waste in Siihtala, Joensuu

WasteLess Karelias took part in Environment & Art Week in Artfactory Siihtala during the Autumn holiday (16.-24.10.2021). On both weekends there was a science theatre presentation aimed especially for families. On the breaktime WasteLess arranged activities for the families and children to participate in. During the week, WasteLess organised also trash art workshops and product care story sessions. 

The themes for the theatre were textile waste and electronic and electrical equipment waste. Thus, the break-time activities were also focused on those themes. In the first weekend’s activities families got to draw their favorite clothes, to estimate what kind of consumers they are – perhaps shoppers or repairers or rather collectors or organisers, and to think of where their phones go when they are broken or not being used anymore. Especially the children were excited to draw their favorite clothes and to place stickers, while the adults were quite deeply thinking of what kind of consumers they tend to be. 

As part of both weekends the audience got to play a game about the materials being used in cellphones. The game was played in teams and everyone had fun putting puzzle pieces together as fast as possible. There was also a quiz game attached to the game, which made everyone having to think on a deeper level of what these resources in our phones are and where do they come from. 

On the second weekend the audience got to take even more part in the theatre performance. They got to sort the laundry based on color and washing temperature, and also got to think of new purposes for old socks and even learn to sew a button. During WasteLess activities they got to recycle old electricity and eletronics scrap, to think further on what kind of consumers they would like to be as well as give their own ideas of what kind of science theatre they would want to see in the future.