How does it work
The SWAMP team receives materials from artists and organizations, exhibition venues and other individuals, and stores them in the material bank.
The material bank offers free access to materials for artists and organizations.
Institutions, artists, and other creative professionals use materials in their work. They are welcome to donate them back to the material bank if they are no longer needed.
If you need help with transportation, a pick up could be organized upon agreement. We usually pick up materials that are difficult to transport by other means; otherwise, we appreciate it if smaller donations are brought to our office.The van pick up area is limited to the capital region — Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo.
SWAMP is not a paid service, so resources are limited and instant pick-ups are usually not possible. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we organize pick-ups around our team’s capacity.
All services, including the removal of recyclable materials from donors and distribution to artists, are free of charge.
Statement
Artists and art organizations need publicly accessible material banks.
A large quantity of reusable material ends up in waste sites after exhibitions and events. Art institution staff members strive to donate leftover materials to artists; however, this requires extra time, work and effort, which is often difficult to organize due to schedule limitations. As a result, a large amount of materials from exhibition venues end up being discarded. At the same time, art workers need material support due to high production costs and precarious financial situations. Moreover, artists and art workers often have surplus materials that they wish to give away but without easy access to a convenient infrastructure it is difficult to do that. Despite Helsinki’s abundance of recycling centers and promotion of “reuse culture”, up until now, there were no centralized hubs specifically serving artists’ material needs.
Political stance
At SWAMP, we are committed to making our materials accessible to a diverse audience, regardless of economic background. Our mission is rooted in promoting diversity and ensuring a wide range of artistic perspectives are represented. We consciously choose not to judge art as inherently “good” or “bad” nor do we scrutinize the backgrounds of our visitors, as we believe in the importance of an open, inclusive environment.
Who we are
Co-founders:
Vera Kavaleuskaya
Adel Kim
Materials Manager:
Kai Kosieradzka
Swamp Swap ry
SWAMP is operated by Swamp Swap ry
Y-tunnus 3478105-2
Pasilan Puistotie 10 B 2
00240 HELSINKI
info@swamp-swap.art
Association’s board:
Vera Kavaleuskaya (Chairperson)
Adel Kim (Treasurer)
Margarita Leonenko (Secretary)
Dahlia el Broul (Member)
Mikä on SWAMP?
SWAMP: Art Material Swap and Waste Management Point (Taidemateriaalien vaihto- ja jätehuollon piste) on materiaalipankki käytetyille taidetarvikkeille ja tavaroille. SWAMP kerää uudelleenkäytettäviä esineitä taidelaitoksilta, yrityksiltä ja yksityishenkilöiltä yhteen paikkaan ja tarjoaa ne maksutta taiteen parissa työskentelevien käyttöön.
SWAMP:in avulla pyrimme:
• Vähentämään taidealan Helsingissä aiheuttamaa ympäristökuormitusta
• Vahvistamaan paikallista kiertotaloutta
• Edistämään paikallisten taiteilijoiden ja taideorganisaatioiden taloudellista kestävyyttä
Haluamme varmistaa, että kierrättäminen taiteellisessa tuotannossa on helposti saavutettavissa ja sovitettavissa arkeen sekä ilmaista ja yksinkertaista.