Hands on with ‘The Besties’ – Artist Camillo Feuchter’s design for the Edinburgh Festival’s Newest Awards  

Tonys, Perriers, Oscars... step aside, The Besties are in town! 

Back in May we announced The Besties in collaboration with The Skinny, Fest Magazine and Premier Scotland, a new series of awards running weekly during the Edinburgh Festivals. The awards will celebrate work across the different festivals in the city over the month of August. But what exactly will the winners take home with them? We’ve worked with artist and maker Camillo Feuchter to create a unique, eco-friendly take on the traditional award.

We checked in with Camillo to learn more about his design journey and the process behind the Edinburgh festivals’ newest eco-chic accolade. 

Born in Germany, Camillo moved to Scotland in 2020 to study Interior & Environmental Design at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee. Currently finishing his degree, Camillo describes himself as having a “big passion for making, working with wood and found objects” which began two years prior while working on furniture and objects. Camillo was inspired by the Precious Plastic movement, a Dutch project centred around reducing plastic waste through boosted recycling and biodegradable materials which relies on a variety of machines and tools to manipulate plastic into new products on a small scale. 

Camillo works predominantly with sustainable materials, local wood & recycled plastics – in this case coming from our very own café. It’s this use of plastic materials which informs all aspects of Camillo’s design. “When working with recycled plastics there is always the element of surprise and fluidity,” he explains, “mixing coloured lids is only controllable to a certain extent”. After heating and pressing the plastic into a mould, Camillo slices through two flat sides to reveal a marble effect while the wavy sides are left bubbly and untouched to create contrast.  

The Bestie’s design is modern and eye-catching, an award disguised as an artwork at first glance. “The inspiration for the shape was the material itself,” explains Camillo, “I wanted to create an abstract, fluid and continuous shape that ‘falls’ off its plinth”. Contrasting the plastic design with the wooden plinth showcases Camillo’s focus on colour and texture, “I love that they are so different” 

The editorial teams of The Skinny and Fest will nominate artists each week throughout August, with the winners announced each Saturday morning following a ceremony at the Festival Theatre. 

Camillo is also planning a visit to the capital this August, “I love the atmosphere and bustle in Edinburgh during the festival”.  

Keep an eye on Capital Theatre’s channels throughout August to see more about The Besties, produced in partnership with The Skinny, Fest Magazine and Premier Scotland.