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.

SWAMP: Art Material Swap and Waste Management Point provides a solution to these problems. It facilitates the process of balancing between surplus and need, collecting used materials from exhibition venues and individuals and donating it to the art workers who need it. By doing this, we increase the level of reused material in the arts and contribute to circular economy principles in the arts, in this time of ecological crisis. SWAMP makes it easier for institutions and independent practitioners to shift towards art production through recycling by ensuring that recycling is easy, accessible, free, simple, and integrated into regular practices.

Our goal is to make it easier to use second-hand art materials than buying something new.

By running SWAMP, we aim to:

• Reduce the environmental material impact caused by the art field in Helsinki and to strengthen local circular economy
• Contribute to the financial sustainability of local artists and art organizations

SWAMP’s operations are based on the shared value of sustainable art production as the only viable way to cope with the climate crisis within the art field. We are committed to supporting the welfare of artists, with a focus on providing material assistance, in light of current cultural policies and the limited availability of arts funding. As we provide materials to all artists regardless of background and stage in artistic career, we are also promoting diversity and inclusion.

SWAMP is not an institution, nor are we trying to become one. As art workers who have experienced burnouts, fun and joy are key conditions for our work. Moreover, we are convinced that institutionalizing our activities would demand a high work and production speed which ultimately causes ecological harm. Therefore, we approach the workload from the position of undoing and taking it slow.