British Rubbish

Wimbledon tennis balls serve as a medium for urging viewers to reconsider used materials in new ways and discover material and visual potential in waste. Fusing British culture and sustainable craft, the piece fashions a sequence of tennis ball offcuts into an iconic Union Jack.

Leaning into the duality of the material, the two sides of the piece are defined by their contrasting textures. The inherent tactility of the tennis ball felt maps the Union Jack, while the inner rubber surface introduces a unique typography. Organic fabric dyes are used to create a tinted florescent depiction of the flag in yellow, green, and orange hues.

Project details

Client:
Rogue projects

Location:
London

Categories:
Concept, Design, Fabrication

Timeline:
2018

The tennis ball offcuts were collected from a precision-engineered hydraulic press as a by-product of another project. 3D printed studies were developed to determine how the offcut module could be housed, and how the two surfaces of the tennis ball would interact with the larger visual representations. The result is a dual-sided panel, machined with circular windows to contain each offcut.

Made from 931 tennis balls, the completed piece uses actual British Rubbish to create a dynamic visual work that embraces reuse and shares the potential of waste through image.