The temporary installation Mega Mat – designed by MVRDV – was transformed into the Mini Mat, and travelling from its original location in Bangkok’s city centre to Chengdu to be part of an exhibition in the Tianfu Design Industrial Park (Hall A). Named “Weaving the Future - 2025 Sustainable Design Exhibition”, the exhibition explores how ordinary waste can be dramatically transformed and reused – with 69 projects from 17 countries.  

Originally presented during Bangkok Design Week 2025 and constructed from over 500 recycled plastic mats, Mega Mat was a large-scale art installation, a joyful gathering place, and an 860-square-metre infographic all in one. It was designed as a supersized Sua, a traditional Thai mat and everyday household essential.  

In a country where over two million tonnes of plastic waste are produced annually, the project served as a reflection on the environmental issues Thailand is facing today. Its colourful woven gradient paid homage to traditional Thai patterns while also conveying complex data: the proportions of plastic waste in Thailand sent to unsanitary and sanitary landfills, left uncollected, or successfully recycled. 

Throughout Bangkok Design Week, it became a lively stage for a diverse programme of events, from concerts and performances to yoga, sports sessions, and bike-in movie nights, bringing people together in a space that celebrated both environmental action and cultural connection. 

After the event, the mats were dismantled and redistributed, donated to temples and museums, repurposed as yoga mats, or upcycled into new objects. Of the original 500 units, 24 modules now continue on their way to Chengdu, where they continue their journey as the Mini Mat. 

Though relatively modest in scale, the Mini Mat carries the spirit of the original project. It remains a tactile, visual example of how discarded materials can be transformed into meaningful design. Its presence in Chengdu contributes to the broader narrative of the exhibition: that sustainability is not merely a matter of innovation, but of consciousness, collaboration, and continuity. 

• Exhibition time: 19 April - 28 June 2025.
• Location: Tianfu Design Industrial Park (101 Hongcang), No. 450, Xianyun 1st Road, Chenghua District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
• More information on the exhibition can be found here.