MoRA, Museum of Recycled Art (Museo dell’Arte Riciclata)

MoRa is a space where various works by different creative "reuse-recycle" artists are exhibited, using waste materials to make furniture, fashion and clothing. This artistic movement expresses the desire to "clean" our planet, avoiding all waste. 

From the waistcoat made from coloured zips to the lamp made from glass bottles, from the necklace made from medicine blisters to the one with washers and butterflies from hardware stores. And there's more: a bag made out of electrical cable, shoes decorated with old building bricks from childhood or adorned with pennies left over in the purse, a set created with spectacle lenses or made from slides, a necklace with rings from the necks of plastic bottles, a necklace made from pencils, a bag made from corks or film, and many other design, furnishing and fashion objects.

MoRA's creator and founder is RAI journalist Mariaceleste de Martino, an environmental activist who recently exhibited some of her works also at Eco Fair, the Festival of Sustainability in Rome: "Apple was born in a garage. Jesus in a stable. Maybe the MoRA can also grow and expand," says de Martino with a smile. "I launch an appeal to the institutions: offer me a larger space where I can host more artists, there are so many who create masterpieces with discarded material. My line of 'Pop Art' accessories is called 'Da Cosa Nasce Cosa', so maybe it will turn from a small museum into a big one," says de Martino. And she adds proudly: "I have also received compliments from the Ministry of Culture's Museum Directorate and from the City of Rome".

"Nothing is for sale in the museum: the objects are part of my wardrobe, of my daily life. I only exhibit to show what can be done with something that seems useless or to be thrown away. I want to make people aware of reusing what is now considered rubbish, destined to die forever. Instead, everything can continue to live, transformed to be reborn. I reanimate and give life back to dead rubbish. Even with the cardboard tubes inside the toilet paper rolls I have created a clutch bag. From a plastic chain found in a rubbish dump I made a bag. And I also knitted old mobile phone charger cables and made earrings out of them. Also on show is a private collection of objects by various artists that I have acquired from around the world," she explains.