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During this residency, Orla Galligan furnished and decorated the studio/gallery space as a ‘home’ by upcycling furniture, useful items, decorative pieces, and artworks that might otherwise be discarded. She aimed to inspire viewers and demonstrate the possibilities of creating an exciting, original home using items they may already have or could gather easily and affordably. Her work blended elements of design, sustainability, and art.

With a background in Visual Art, Interior Design, Product Design, and Art Education – and a strong passion for sustainability – upcycling is central to her creative practice. She views it as an accessible form of art for everyone.

Upcycling is the process of transforming an object or material into something more useful or aesthetically valuable than it was in its original state. For the eco-conscious individual, it offers one of the greatest opportunities for artistic expression within sustainable living. Beyond its environmental benefits – reducing waste and carbon output by repurposing instead of discarding – upcycling also encourages a shift in perspective, inspiring people to rethink consumerist habits and find value in what already exists.

For this exhibition, she designed the gallery as a series of living spaces, including:

• A furnished ‘Hall’ and ‘Living Room’
• A ‘Dining Room’ featuring a large upcycled dining table, chairs, a sideboard, lamps, and decorative items
• A ‘Patio’ with bench seating, unique planters, lanterns, and more.

She transformed discarded objects into furniture, functional pieces, and decorative artworks, employing various techniques such as painting, sewing, mosaic, embroidery, collage, wirework, woodwork, crochet, and upholstery. The exhibition was curated to resemble a show house or an interior design display. Instead of price tags, each item featured a tag showing a photo of its previous state and the creative process behind its transformation.

In addition to the exhibition, she led upcycling workshops for adults and art workshops for children, using old and repurposed materials to encourage sustainable creativity.