Building together a different future - The upside-down city FORWARDS Festival 2025

Alexia in costume at Forwards Festival 2025 - photo by Gabriella Tigoglu

There are moments when ideas whisper. For me, the spark came the minute I was asked: What kind of work would engage people with sustainability in a festival space?

When I began imagining this installation/workshop for the kids’ area at FORWARDS Festival, I thought about the mountains of waste every festival collects — the discarded tetrapaks, the packaging, the stuff we see as ordinary refuse. What if, instead, they could become something magical? Something beautiful. Something communal?

And so the Upside-Down City was born.

🏙️ From Waste to Houses

Collecting began quietly. During build-in week, I gathered tetrapaks, washed and primed them with gesso, ready for creation. By Saturday morning, fifty boxes stood waiting — blank, humble, full of promise. Markers came from the Children’s ScrapStore, scraps sourced from generous hands who believe in reuse.

Children and families stepped in, imaginations alight: turning oat milk boxes into homes, decorating with colour, texture, and play. These weren’t passive observers — they became architects, artists, explorers of possibility.

☁️ Clouds & Cushions & Community

Beneath the upside-down skyline, a soft floor of clouds: cushions stitched from old pillows, fabric scraps rescued from landfill. Kids curled up, pretended kingdoms built over their heads, cast castle shadows under their own laughter. Parents joined pillow fights, piled into castles, lay back and gazed upward.

On day two, the city had grown. Over 100 little houses now held stories: each child pointing to the one they’d built, saying, “That’s mine!” — a moment of pride, connection, belonging.

🌱 Costume as Message

I made myself part of the story, too. My costume was a flower armour built from around 30 plastic bottles, scrap buttons, painted blue and white like ocean waves, a tutu of plastic bags, and a floral headpiece. I wanted my body to carry the message that even found, forgotten materials can bloom anew.

🔍 Why This Project Matters

This installation isn’t just about play (though play is sacred). It’s a gentle shift in perspective: what we throw away doesn’t have to vanish. It can be born again into wonder. It’s about engaging young minds in sustainability, letting them map their creativity, letting them feel that their hands shape the future.

For me, it’s also another step in my practice — weaving together sustainability, immersive design, and community. It’s proof that design can be both practical and poetic; that high visual storytelling works hand-in-hand with care for our planet.

If you missed it in person, I hope this paints the scene. If you were there — thank you for holding space, for colouring, building, dreaming. The upside-down city lives because of you.