Casetify transforms 5,000 discarded phone cases into art

Casetify, a global tech accessories brand, has turned some 5,000 discarded phone cases into artwork with the aid of three Korean artists as part of its upcycling initiative known as “Re/Casetify.”

Casetify hosts an exhibition which collected old phone cases to transform them into artwork at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. [CASETIFY]

Casetify, a global tech accessories brand, has turned some 5,000 discarded phone cases into artwork with the aid of three Korean artists as part of its upcycling initiative known as “Re/Casetify.”

The pieces are currently exhibited at the outdoor square of the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul.

The brand invited three artists, Kang Young-min, Kim Su-rin and Hwang Da-young, to transform old phone cases into artwork.

Kang turned 3,000 phone cases into a massive four meter (13 ft) chair titled "Perspective Fragments". He disassembled the cases and used case pallets, the flat part of a phone case, to create unique patterns on the installation.

Artist Kang Young-min's installation "Perspective Fragments." [CASETIFY]

Kim, known for her expertise in using 3-D printing for her art, used 100 cases to craft a miniature pagoda and a stool, titled “Green Pagoda: A Sustainable Legacy” and “C-Stool: Eco-Cycle Seating," respectively.

The base of the pagoda was fashioned from cornstarch biofilm material to ensure complete recyclability. The stool was made by grinding Casetify cases into flakes, which were then used in 3-D printing to produce the artwork.

Artist Kim Su-rin's artworks “Green Pagoda: A Sustainable Legacy” and “C-Stool: Eco-Cycle Seating.” [CASETIFY]

This approach is in line with Kim's previous work, as she is known for her process of crafting, dismantling and reimagining art.

Hwang used 1,900 cases to create a bench, a stool and a sculpture inspired by the shape of clam shells. The artist also used pallets and case straps to create patterns for the installations. The furniture is titled “Layered Stool & Layered bench” and the piece inspired by clam shells is titled “Pair_01& Pair_02.”

This upcycling program runs in three other countries between April and June — the United States, Australia and China.

Casetify’s overarching goal is to completely stop using plastic for creating accessories by 2030. So far, the brand has recycled more than 84 tons of plastic by collecting old accessories from users to recreate new accessories. Every offline Casetify store around the world has a separate bin where customers can drop off their old cases.

Artist Hwang Da-young's artworks “Layered Stool & Layered bench” and “Pair_01& Pair_02”[CASETIFY]

As of 2022, 80 percent of Casetify products were made from recycled materials.

The company has also contributed to planting 463,406 new trees by donating $1 per every sustainable product sold to the partners of Earthday.org.

The exhibition runs until Sunday.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]