A Window on the Circular Economy

This subproject, led by Adam Przywara, is an ethnographic study of the materiality of PVC windows, as well as practices and knowledge fostered around the reuse of windows in the wartime reconstruction of Ukrainian cities. The departure point for the investigation is a participatory observation in the OKNO project [polish for window] initiated in Poland by BRDA Foundation in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among others, the invasion has shattered the existing supply chains of window glass in Ukraine based on the imports from Belarus. Therefore the OKNO project aims to tackle the scarcity of windows haunting the grassroots reconstruction effort in Ukraine. To do so, the foundation salvages windows from private and institutional donors in Poland and sends them to the partner organisation (e.g. District#1 Foundation) in Ukraine. A similar project aiding reconstruction efforts in Ukraine has been established also in Switzerland under the umbrella of the RE-WIN Association. Through ethnographic fieldwork in Poland, Ukraine, and Switzerland, Adam intends to account for the intricacies and challenges of the transnational logistics of building material reuse in Europe.