At least, this is what ArtCycle would like to do. For this we need your feedback, what you would call 'customer validation' (for this Climate KIC Summer school business idea). What do you think of this idea? Would you, as artists and designers, like to have a profile on this platform? Would you like to work with existing items? What would consumers think of this idea? How can the negotiation process between you and the customer best be facilitated? What kind of features would this platform need to make it attractive to you? And what kind of conditions would apply? Please read on for more details.
ArtCycle is an online platform that allows consumers to create personalised art, through upcycling their items in collaboration with an artist or designer. The platform facilitates matchmaking between consumers who have an item they want to upcycle and artists’ styles and capabilities. The customer would post a photo of the item to be upcycled on the platform and he or she and the artist would then discuss what to make with the item or how to restyle it and for what price. ArtCycle charges 5% commission for this service.
The idea behind ArtCycle is preventing unused, worm or battered items or maybe even something that needs a repair from ending up in an attic or basement or as waste in a bin or skip. Because unused doesn’t always mean unloved: these items can be inherited furniture or accessories, gifts that maybe don’t quite fit in with the rest of your items or simply something old that needs a make-over to fit your current style. ArtCycle gives these otherwise wasted items a new life. Underpinning this is ArtCycle’s mission to reduce waste and creating beautiful and beloved one-of-a-kind items and artwork that people love to wear, use or decorate their homes with: to create objects that have meaning and their owners have a connection with. This can hopefully provide a first step on the journey of rethinking the relationship with the ‘stuff’ in our lives, promoting conscious consumption and showing that there is no such thing as waste.
