abastan creative recycling
Our Team
Aleksandra Korolyova
Artist, Teacher
Founder of the Luv Toprak project
material development, design of soft plastic products, education and outreach, exhibition curator
Andrey Strizhkov
Engineer, Designer
Founder of the Plastic Bakery workshop
development and creation of equipment, creation of hard materials, design and creation of products
What We Do
We create a space equipped for plastic recycling, where people can work with this material on their own and learn the basics of production. To this end, we hold workshops and invite artists who can apply this knowledge to their own projects. We place a special emphasis on plastic bags—they are small, lightweight, and cost next to nothing, which creates the illusion that they cause no harm. At the same time, 800 tons of plastic bags are consumed annually in Armenia, most of which end up in landfills.
One of the unique features of this space is the equipment, which was made on-site in a small town using readily available materials and tools. In addition to training, we constantly recycle hard and soft plastics ourselves and use them to make various products, including custom orders. Throughout the year, we also engaged in the centralized sorting and collection of plastic bottles on a city-wide scale.
We are also working to promote work with recycled plastic by participating in eco-events, fairs, and festivals, as well as by organising and taking parts in exhibitions.
We create a space equipped for plastic recycling, where people can work with this material on their own and learn the basics of production. To this end, we hold workshops and invite artists who can apply this knowledge to their own projects. We place a special emphasis on plastic bags—they are small, lightweight, and cost next to nothing, which creates the illusion that they cause no harm. At the same time, 800 tons of plastic bags are consumed annually in Armenia, most of which end up in landfills.
One of the unique features of this space is the equipment, which was made on-site in a small town using readily available materials and tools. In addition to training, we constantly recycle hard and soft plastics ourselves and use them to make various products, including custom orders. Throughout the year, we also engaged in the centralized sorting and collection of plastic bottles on a city-wide scale.
We are also working to promote work with recycled plastic by participating in eco-events, fairs, and festivals, as well as by organising and taking parts in exhibitions.
Our Mission
Human beings are capable of creating a great deal, but with that capacity comes responsibility for what is created. Globalization and mass production tend to erode both ideas: goods are produced in vast quantities and sold cheaply, diminishing the perceived value of human labor and materials.
We seek to restore this sense of value, along with the idea that communities can be autonomous in their production, and that individuals are responsible
for what they make.
Small towns in Armenia have a long history of reusing materials and adapting objects to their needs. Yet this practice has largely been driven by necessity and scarcity. As a result, a paradigm emerged in which newness became synonymous with value, while reuse came to be associated with poverty and low social status.
We aim to challenge this perception. The value of a person lies not in what they consume, but in what they do and in what they leave behind.
Human beings are capable of creating a great deal, but with that capacity comes responsibility for what is created. Globalization and mass production tend to erode both ideas: goods are produced in vast quantities and sold cheaply, diminishing the perceived value of human labor and materials.
We seek to restore this sense of value, along with the idea that communities can be autonomous in their production, and that individuals are responsible
for what they make.
Small towns in Armenia have a long history of reusing materials and adapting objects to their needs. Yet this practice has largely been driven by necessity and scarcity. As a result, a paradigm emerged in which newness became synonymous with value, while reuse came to be associated with poverty and low social status.
We aim to challenge this perception. The value of a person lies not in what they consume, but in what they do and in what they leave behind.
History
The Luv Toprak project and the Plastic Bakery workshop were created by Alexandra Koroleva and Andrey Strizhkov on the basis of, and with the support of, the Abastan project, which in 2022 brought together volunteers to create a creative cluster in the small town of Tumanyan in northern Armenia.
The initiative to engage with environmental practices began with a desire not to cause harm and to preserve the nature of this region. We wanted to learn how to use available resources and reduce the burden on the environment through waste separation within the community and by supporting similar initiatives by local activists. In 2023, we began experimenting with recycling and reusing secondary materials and discovered many interesting possibilities in creating and working with recycled materials.
The Luv Toprak project and the Plastic Bakery workshop were created by Alexandra Koroleva and Andrey Strizhkov on the basis of, and with the support of, the Abastan project, which in 2022 brought together volunteers to create a creative cluster in the small town of Tumanyan in northern Armenia.
The initiative to engage with environmental practices began with a desire not to cause harm and to preserve the nature of this region. We wanted to learn how to use available resources and reduce the burden on the environment through waste separation within the community and by supporting similar initiatives by local activists. In 2023, we began experimenting with recycling and reusing secondary materials and discovered many interesting possibilities in creating and working with recycled materials.
Previously, I had encountered objects made from recycled or reused materials. I was struck by ordinary, everyday items and solutions that embodied an idea of careful use of resources, preservation of history, and the realization of the potential embedded in the material.
This inspired me to start working with secondary materials within the Abastan community, which began to take shape in northern Armenia, in the small town of Tumanyan. There was a strong desire not to cause harm, but to preserve and support this place. One of the most obvious ways to do this was to reduce the amount of ‘waste.’
That is how I began recycling plastic bags into a durable, long-lasting material, creating familiar objects, design pieces, and artworks from it, sharing my experience, and inspiring others to work with secondary materials.
This inspired me to start working with secondary materials within the Abastan community, which began to take shape in northern Armenia, in the small town of Tumanyan. There was a strong desire not to cause harm, but to preserve and support this place. One of the most obvious ways to do this was to reduce the amount of ‘waste.’
That is how I began recycling plastic bags into a durable, long-lasting material, creating familiar objects, design pieces, and artworks from it, sharing my experience, and inspiring others to work with secondary materials.
— Sasha Koroleva
In 2023, under conditions of limited resources, Andrey began developing machines for processing both rigid and flexible plastic waste, and by the end of the year the first results started to appear in the workshop—small solid sheets. This inspired us to design and create objects and artworks from this material, to share knowledge, and to bring in more and more people—engaging them with the possibilities of recycling, with a careful attitude toward resources, responsibility for their choices, and a sense that they can have an impact on the problem.
— Andrey Strizhkov
My interest in plastic recycling began eight years ago, when the first infrastructure for waste separation started to appear in my city. At the same time, I began to wonder how recycling actually works.
At that time, I found enthusiasts online who were recycling plastic at home, and it inspired me greatly. However, I lacked a certain impulse to begin doing it myself. That impulse came in the spring of 2023, when I became a resident of the Abastan community. At first, it interested me more as a large experiment aimed at answering the question: ‘What can we do without serious equipment and large amounts of money?’
We started with rigid plastic, but then Sasha encouraged me to work with plastic bags, which added an additional layer of meaning to the project. The main rigid types of plastic are already being recycled in this country, while plastic bags are hardly processed at all. And this is a significant environmental problem for the region.
At that time, I found enthusiasts online who were recycling plastic at home, and it inspired me greatly. However, I lacked a certain impulse to begin doing it myself. That impulse came in the spring of 2023, when I became a resident of the Abastan community. At first, it interested me more as a large experiment aimed at answering the question: ‘What can we do without serious equipment and large amounts of money?’
We started with rigid plastic, but then Sasha encouraged me to work with plastic bags, which added an additional layer of meaning to the project. The main rigid types of plastic are already being recycled in this country, while plastic bags are hardly processed at all. And this is a significant environmental problem for the region.
Our achievements, as we see them, lie in the fact that despite all difficulties and limitations, we continue to recycle plastic and develop an environmental practice in the conditions of a small town. We attract new people—tourists, artists, and local residents—opening the workshop not only to demonstrate the possibilities of recycling, but also to offer a personal experience of creating both material and objects.
We are glad to contribute to the development of small communities, to draw attention to regions and support them, and to serve as an example of how interest in a place, a way of life, a connection with nature, and the preservation of its resources can be sustained and strengthened.
Host an Exhibition
Luv Toprak and Plastic Bakery are eager to show their creations and share their experience. Please get in touch if you would like to host and exhibition or/and workshop
Luv Toprak and Plastic Bakery are eager to show their creations and share their experience. Please get in touch if you would like to host and exhibition or/and workshop
Make Donation
You can send a monetary donation to the bank account of Abastan NGO. Please use “Recycling donation” as the reference.
You can send a monetary donation to the bank account of Abastan NGO. Please use “Recycling donation” as the reference.
Volunteer
Luv Toprak and Plastic Bakery can benefit from the help of volunteers, especially when organizing open workshops. Interested in helping? Send an email to introduce yourself.
Luv Toprak and Plastic Bakery can benefit from the help of volunteers, especially when organizing open workshops. Interested in helping? Send an email to introduce yourself.
Other Ideas?
Get in Touch!
Alexandra Korolyova korolyova.art.design@gmail.com
Andrei Strizhkov
strizhas19@gmail.com
Get in Touch!
Alexandra Korolyova korolyova.art.design@gmail.com
Andrei Strizhkov
strizhas19@gmail.com
