About this Event
The Makers of Exquisite Trash are proud to present the 2026 theme of The M.E.T. Gala:
Life on Mars??? Space X-Cess and the Landfills Left Behind
As the billionaires colonize everything from the Met Gala to Mars, we are showcasing designers, sculptors, and installation artists who forge their masterpieces from the garbage, post consumer waste, and discarded materials of this left-behind landfill we still call home.
They have the money but we have the taste. The Met Gala was once the bastion of craftsmanship, couture and ceremony for the arts, but its impact dwindles as Jeff Bezos tries to buy it for his wife. To counter the billionaire takeover, we are throwing the M.E.T. Gala to reconnect with the original ideals of couture, craftsmanship and expression. The pieces will be made ethically; forged from the bin, the charity shop or anything that has been thrown “away” (When it comes to clothing at textile waste “away” ends up clogging the gutters of the Kantamanto Market in Ghana, where 12 million plastic textile pieces are sent weekly.)
Forget the new space age “visionaries” who value profits over people, and would rather colonize Mars than protect Earth. With the earth filling up with our torn, plastic, Shein/Primark/Temu sweaters, and the traditional fashion crowd jetting off to another sinking city for the next Bezos wedding, where can the phoenix rise but from the landfill?
Set to the tune of David Bowie’s “Life on Mars” and “Five Years” the exhibit is emblematic of the Ziggy Stardust Space ages aesthetics, made with modern trash. The display highlights the absurdity of creating so much waste on Earth while using vast amounts of wealth to try and sustain life elsewhere. For design inspiration, please check out the moodboard section of makersofexquisitetrash.co.uk
Event venue & nearby stays
The Tin Tabernacle, 12-16 Cambridge Avenue, London, United Kingdom
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