Mottainai (もったいない, 勿体無い?) is a Japanese term meaning "a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized".[1] The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "Oh, what a waste!" In addition to its primary sense of "wasteful", the word is also used to mean "impious; irreverent" or "more than one deserves".[2]

1. ^ ab Daijirin Japanese dictionary 2nd ed. (Japanese)
2. ^ Masuda, K: Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, page 1139. Kenkyusha Ltd., 1974

It's inevitable to be part of a Mottainai chain of events when you move to New York City. The spoil of fuel on oversized cars, the excess of lights when nobody is watching and the Matryoshka Russian doll concept for packing the "food to go" inside of a container, inside of another and another container.

Thanks, but no thanks…  I don't need that plastic bag. 

If you see the trash as bricks, then you are extremely rich in this city, and also you can create a huge conscience about your everyday Mottainay.

Local Project, after using for 6? years 45-10 Davis Street in Queens for art events, was able to get an adjacent space of 33 x 13 feet. This is going to be added to the original gallery.

This new white canvas had to be a flexible area which lets many different activities go on, such as:  bi and tri dimensional art shows, lectures, fairs, music concerts, theater plays, parties, office and meeting, etc…

After taking all these pieces out of the blender, the result is Matryoshka modules made out of Mottainai New York rests. The industrial dispose known as wooden pallet shaped some moving tables that fit into some moving stage cubes, into the 33 x 13 space, into the 45-10 area in the 5 Pointz building. 

Everything will be on wheels, so the user can transform the space with infinite possibilities in a matter of minutes. 

The building process has been materialized by many Local Project historical collaborators, and the architect will move from his house to LP by a 15 miles ride in al old bicycle, refraining from fuel use in all of that period.

Pallet Project @ Local Project is the result of recycling waste, transport and old human relations..

More information: 

- The project is going on at Local Project (www.localproject.org) in New York City.

The main constructors of the work are: Cristian Torres, Miguel Luciano, Piro Salinas 

Project by: www.nicolasmatzner.com

Opening on October 6 with video performances curated by Gabriel Roldos. This is a "work in progress" and there  will be projects ongoing.

on going performance of Maria Jose Duran