our projects

Local art, local impact 

Issue: Large-scale facade artwork desined for landfill
Client: Frankston City Council / Frankston Arts Cente
Outcome: 100 unique tote bags funding local environmental initiatives



The public artwork Salt Landscapes welcomed people to Frankston Arts Centre from 2020 to 2025. Once a statement about environmental fragility, Upshop Industries was thrilled to help ensure it didn’t fade into memory - or worse, into landfill. Instead, Salt Landscapes has begun a new chapter as a collection of upcycled, limited-edition tote bags with sales supporting grassroots environmental initiatives.

Created by celebrated Australian artist Peter Birim, Salt Landscapes’ bold forms and textured colours invited conversations about the environment - an issue Birim has long championed through his work. When the opportunity arose to give the large-scale artwork a second life, Birim embraced the idea wholeheartedly, delighted the environmental message at its core would continue through a new, practical medium.

PVC vinyl artworks like Salt Landscapes face a difficult end-of-life reality in Australia, with over 1.7 million square metres of PVC vinyl being sent to landfill each year. When Frankston Arts Centre approached us about the retired artwork, we knew we had the chance to reshape a waste problem into something meaningful.

Transforming a five-year-old façade installation into durable, functional tote bags required patience, skill, and a deep respect for the original artwork. Our goal was simple: use as much of the PVC vinyl as possible while maintaining our commitment to minimal waste.

Each bag was handmade in our Brunswick studio using a labour-intensive process that starts with cleaning away years of grime, mildew and markings from the vinyl. The panels are then hand-cut, polished and sewn, before the bag is turned out to reveal its unique character. We love that moment.


A highlight of the project was working with Frankston Council’s Public Art Officer, Rebecca Gendron, whose commitment to sustainability guided the artwork’s transformation. The focus was always on valuing the material, not discarding it.

Rebecca says, “With a growing focus on circular economy principles at Council, it quickly became clear to me that this material should be valued just as highly as it was when the artwork was first installed. Discarding it felt entirely counterintuitive.

“Discovering Mario at UpShop Industries was an absolute joy—he managed everything seamlessly and communicated the process of turning the banner artwork into bags with clarity and confidence. The resulting tote bags are of exceptional quality and serve as a beautiful reminder that, by rethinking our approach to materials, we can repurpose them meaningfully rather than sending them to landfill.”

These totes don’t just carry art—they carry impact. Every purchase directly supports the Frankston Environmental Friends Network, with all profits funding grassroots environmental initiatives across the region.

Totes can be purchased from the Frankston Arts Centre.