MadMax | Recycling project

MadMax: recycling project

It's a strange and wonderful experience to see an old wooden door, a worn out set of chairs or a stack of discarded wooden beams become a temporary gathering point for discussions about recycling, the environment and contemporary art. But that is exactly what MadMax is hoping for. By bringing people into close contact with the art of waste, the project subtly asks its visitors to become more aware of the old stuff around them, the new things they throw away and the resources used to create it all.

Reclaiming Karatasou park

Karatasou is more than a convenient background for the project. The location is central to its meaning. Situated in Polichni, the area was previously used as a military camp. Local initiatives have since imagined it as a place for outdoor activities, environmental action, healthy lifestyles and community events. Municipal cultural programmes have also used the former camp for concerts and public gatherings, showing its potential as a shared cultural space. Bringing recycled art into the park therefore becomes a form of urban reclamation. Materials are reclaimed from the waste stream, while the park itself is reclaimed through public participation. Instead of waiting for a perfectly renovated cultural venue, MadMax begins with what already exists: open ground, old materials, local knowledge and people willing to participate. That do-it-yourself attitude gives the project its character.

Creativity as environmental action

Environmental campaigns often rely on statistics, warnings and instructions. MadMax takes another route. It invites people to touch materials, experiment with them and see their possibilities.

This approach turns sustainability into something physical and social. Participants do not simply hear that reuse is important; they experience the process of turning something unwanted into something valuable. Art cannot solve urban waste by itself. It can, however, change the way people look at the objects around them. A plastic container becomes a building component. A damaged wooden board becomes a sign. A forgotten corner of a former military camp becomes a place where strangers meet. These small changes in perception are where larger cultural changes often begin.

Summer in the city, reimagined

Running from 14 July to 4 August 2026, the MadMax project brings a temporary burst of international and local creative energy to Karatasou Park. It is supported through the European Solidarity Corps and is designed around collaboration between young volunteers and the surrounding community. For visitors, the attraction is not a conventional exhibition with silent rooms and carefully guarded objects. It is the feeling of entering an evolving space, one where art is still being made and where the boundary between artist, volunteer, neighbour and audience becomes less important. Karatasou Park may not be Thessaloniki’s most famous summer destination, but that is part of its appeal. Here, summer culture is not based on polished beach clubs or expensive rooftop cocktails. It is built from reclaimed materials, shared ideas and the belief that neglected things, whether objects or public spaces, can still hold value. MadMax gives the park a new visual language: playful, imperfect, communal and alive. And perhaps that is the project’s strongest message. A more sustainable city does not have to be grey or restrictive. It can be creative, colourful and as inviting as a long summer evening.

Article written by Senihcem Gezgin