Otago Polytechnic product design student Fin Beaumont displays one of the kiwis he has made out of old chair legs, for the upcoming Retooled charity auction for Red Cross. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON They used to prop up stools and pieces of furniture. Now they prop open doors, keep books upright on shelves and could be a popular chew toy for the family dog. When Otago Polytechnic second-year product design student Fin Beaumont discovered some old legs in the drawer of a dresser in the basement of Dunedin’s Red Cross, he immediately reimagined them as kiwi beaks, and upcycled them into tidy kiwis. ‘‘I saw these beautiful legs and I immediately thought, ‘I can do something with these’. ‘‘Designers’ minds work in mysterious ways. We see qualities in things that other people might not. ‘‘The whole point of this course is to see what others don’t.’’ His kiwis are among many upcycled items which will be auctioned at the upcoming Otago Polytechnic Retooled charity auction for Red Cross. The ‘‘Retooled’’ auction project challenges first, second and third-year design students to take a gifted or pre-loved object and reimagine or repurpose it for a new life. Senior design lecturer Andrew Wallace said the project celebrated creativity, sustainability, collaboration and community impact. ‘‘The auction will feature a diverse range of one-off pieces created by students, including reimagined furniture, lamps, dress coats, casual bags, beanies, womenswear, menswear and even a slot-car set. ‘‘Each item has been transformed from an existing object or material into something new and unique by the students.’’ He said the charity event had also received support from several local artists, who had donated artworks for the auction. Alongside the upcycled auction items, there would also be a range of fixed-price products available for purchase on the night, offering something for every budget. Mr Beaumont said if they sold for a good price at the auction, he would definitely make more because there was never a shortage of old legs lying around. The auction will be held in the Otago Polytechnic Hub at 6pm next Thursday.
