With Maf’j Alvarez, curated by Rachel Murrell, Stoke Newington Festival, London 2002

Press release

Artists Highlight abandoned car problem at Stoke Newington Festival 2002

Rekwear is a project that aims to explore the growing problem of burnt-out and abandoned cars that decorate the streets of Hackney and beyond.

Reflecting on today’s materialistic instincts, artists Maf’j Alvarez and Tanya Meditzky are using a humorous approach to discourage people from dumping cars. They have set up a spoof company called RekWear which creates designer car-covers to turn old cars into safe and desirable items of street furniture.

“We wanted to approach the subject with humour in order to engage people and to bring some colour and life to these motor corpses”, says Maf’j.  “clearly we offer no real solutions to the problem, but we will have succeeded in our aim if we get people talking about the issue.”
Sunday the 16th June will see the bogus company demonstrating its range at the Stoke Newington Festival in Hackney, East London.

Situated aptly on the forecourt of Stoke Newington’s fire-station, the Rekwear demonstration illustrates the real hazards produced by newly burnt cars, and asks whose problem this really is.

An education programme is planned to accompany the project, with school children being encouraged to design their own car covers and to map out the wrecks in their own neighbourhoods. See the results at http://www.rekwear.com from mid-June