New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Project category

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking

Email user
angela.ciobanu@gmail.com

Basic information
Project title
NOSTALGIA

Full Project Title
NOSTALGIA

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.
Far from being conventional, NOSTALGIA brings forward a perspective shift with regard to preciousness and value in jewelley and fashion by using innovative non-wovens made entirely out of residues coming from textile and food industries. Triggered by two major existing problems, the negative impacts of the textile and food industries on the environment and on large groups of people, the jewellery collection brings a new perspective on waste, as being the new gold.

What was the geographical scope of your project?
Cross-border/international

Where was your project implemented?
Location 1
Romania

Location 2
Spain

Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries
{Empty}

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
{Empty}

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your project won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Is your project fully completed
Yes

Please indicate a date (mm/yy)
2019-10-01

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As an individual
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project).
- First name: Angela
  Last name: Ciobanu
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Romania
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Dristorului 108-110, bl. 16 ABC, sc A, ap 42, sector 3
  Town: Bucharest
  Postal code: 03142
  Country: Romania
  Direct Tel: +40726732870
  E-mail: angela.ciobanu@gmail.com
  Website: https://www.notjustalabel.com/angela-ciobanu
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-ciobanu-b73b1449/
- URL: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaCiobanuJewelry/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #angelaciobanu #angelaciobanujewelry
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/angela.ciobanu
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #angelaciobanu
In case my project is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my project in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
During a presentation I gave for Worth Project, in October 2021

Description of the project
Please provide a summary of your project.
Does the Time stop, sometimes? This Time, the one we have invented seconds for. Does it reverse, can it collapse? Are we ever allowed to trespass it and see beyond a fragmented veil of moments? There must be another Time beyond it all, with no minutes and no years. Otherwise, where would this nostalgia come from? Why would we long for places we have never walked through before and look in the crowd for smiles we have never smiled back to?

NOSTALGIA represents a disruptive manner of creating jewellery. Far from being conventional, it brings forward a perspective shift with regard to preciousness and value in jewelley and fashion, by using innovative non-wovens made entirely out of residues coming from textile and food industries. This results into a series of contemporary objects that push the traditional confines of jewellery, challenging the idea that a piece of jewellery should be just an adornment for the body. The pieces making up the collection combine precious recycled metals (silver or gold) with sustainable non-wovens and lace-like steel mesh.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.
sustainability

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
waste

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
new gold

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
preciousness

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
aesthetics

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
This project was made in full awareness of the needs of the current customers, who are the new scepticals and the game changers of the fashion market, setting new standards in terms of sustainability and consciousness. Triggered by two major existing problems - the negative impacts of the textile and food industries on the environment and on large groups of people - the jewellery collection brings a new perspective on waste, as the new gold, having creativity as the most important added value to something that would be otherwise voided of any significance.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Nostalgia is a project that relies on creativity and aesthetics when considering the added value of residual materials. Through the originality of design, exquisite craftsmanship and high aesthetic qualities, the pieces of art jewellery impact both the wearer and the viewer in a positive manner, while tackling at the same time real problems with huge environmental impact. Given the fact that the project is easily scalable, the extent of the positive impact on people can be very high as well, offering thus a tangible example of how waste can become "the new gold".

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Nostalgia is a gender fluid jewellery collection that addresses everyone and that aims at tackling inclusion aspects in terms of affordability as well.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project
Triggered by two major existing problems - the negative impacts of the textile and food industries on the environment and on large groups of people - the jewellery collection brings a new perspective on waste, as being the new gold.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was.
While elaborating the project, local stakeholders have been involved, but taking into account the high degree of scalability, the aim is to involve stakeholders at regional and European level in the near future.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was.
The project encompasses various skills coming from different disciplines and knowledge fields. It combines the high craftsmanship of fine jewellery, the novel aesthetics of contemporary design - both originating in Romania - and it also benefits from the technical expertise of the Spanish company Innovarty, subcontracted for this project and responsible for the production of custom made sustainable non wovens. There has been a continuous exchange of information between myself - in charge of the concept, design and manufacture - and Innovarty, from the initial moment until the finalization of the collection, and the result brought added value to the portfolios of each partner involved.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries
After having successfully incorporated non-wovens made entirely out of waste, for the first time, in a previous jewellery collection, "Nostalgia" comes as a confirmation that a precedent paves the way for good practices. "Nostalgia" filled the gap between experimental and fully functional and stands as a proof that a shift of perspective can turn an inexhaustible and residual resource into something that can be valued, admired and that can even create profits. The jewellery collection has already been showcased in various prestigious international events, such as Berlin Fashion Week, Romanian Jewellery Week, Indonesian Contemporary Art & Design Exhibition Jakarta, it has been awarded by the Milano Jewellery Week, and one of the pieces is now part of the permanent collection of "Ilias Lalaounis" Jewellery Museum in Athens - just to name a few of the positive feedbacks received by "Nostalgia".

Please provide documents showing the results, outcomes and impacts of your project
PDF
PDF
- pdf-1-14315.pdf
Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project
The project brings a perspective shift with regard to preciousness and value in jewellery, by integrating waste in a completely innovative manner and by putting it on the same level as materials that are commonly accepted as being precious - silver or gold. It also offers a very successful and tangible solution to how the loop can be closed in such polluting industries as fashion and jewellery production. Waste is literally an endless resource on the planet, and perceiving it from a different angle represented the trigger for the creative strategy lying at the core of this collection.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.
The methodology adopted for the project has been generated by the main concept: the use of residues coming from food and textile industries. In order to achieve this, I subcontracted the Spanish company Innovarty and they created some recipes for sustainable non wovens, tailor made for this particular project. After several tests, a set of recipes have been selected and afterwards incorporated in the final products. The sustainable non wovens are entirely made of residual material and vary from cotton, linen or silk trims, to dried tomatoes peels or cereal waste. The non wovens have been produced in small quantities in A3 sheets format and after receiving them, I have incorporated parts of the products in the final pieces of jewellery. The final result is a series of contemporary jewellery pieces, that combine precious metals (silver or gold) with non wovens and steel mesh, having unexpectedly high aesthetic qualities.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.
Even though I hope the IP protection of the objects never to be violated, the methodology itself can be transferred to any other place, group of beneficiary and context, as long as the quality standards are met and the technology allows it. Moreover, I hope this jewellery collection to be a successful example of how waste - abundantly present on the planet - can be a source of inspiration, as well as supply, for future artistic endeavors.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions
The food, fashion and mining industries are some of the highest polluting, with direct impact on environment and population health. It is estimated that 1/3 of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year (1.3 billion tons) gets lost or wasted. The textile industry is known to be the second polluting industry, with more than 15.1 million tons of textile waste being generated each year and 15% of the fabric intended for clothing ending up on the cutting floor. All these are challenges found at a global level, but encouraging businesses to rely on local - or at least regional - supply chains and to foster sustainable practices should be the way to move forward. And this is precisely what this project comes up with - local craftsmanship, regional supply chain and a high amount of creativity to address worldwide problems in real time.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below
- ANGELA CIOBANU_CV.pdf
By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the project and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary.
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their projects, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted project, is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes