Matter + Form = Little foundry
"Proximate matter" means "matter ready to recieve a form". sa: k design studio shows objects that have taken shape out of candle left overs from Malmö restaurants and cafés.
Little Foundry is an alternative cyclic system for recycling candle leftovers. Candles are products that generate a lot of waste, but are of a material that can be recycled over and over. Since ancient times humans have used flammable oils and fats to produce light. Despite the fact that we no longer need candles, the use has only increased. We use over 20,000 tonnes of candles in Sweden alone every year. The stump of the candle that is left over is often about 20-30% of the light, which means that 4000 tons are thrown away. Little Foundry is a small recycling factory for the home. The project has also led to recycling on a larger scale, with left over candles are collected from Malmö's restaurants and cafés and molded into a new form. The amount that is collected and remolded makes it visible how much candle wax is actually thrown away, and that it is a material that is both incredibly volatile but also durable because it neither ages nor loses in quality after recycling.
The result is handmade candles, each completely unique in appearance based on the colors and composition of the mixture of the leftovers.