Hotel Paper is a participatory art and material research project that transforms discarded cotton hotel linens into handmade paper, reflecting on the environmental and cultural impact of tourism in the Cyclades. Developed by Otonom the project will operate through a low-tech process that emphasizes reuse, accessibility, and critical engagement with local waste streams.

The initiative unfolds in three phases over a period of three months from July through September 2026: collection and preparation, workshops and art-making, and a final exhibition.

It begins with the collection of used textiles from hotels, materials that embody both the scale and invisibility of tourism-driven consumption.

Through a series of open workshops, these fabrics are manually processed into pulp and reshaped into new paper sheets using simple tools, sustainable natural materials and minimal energy. The process invites participants of all ages to engage directly with material transformation, fostering awareness of resource cycles and the limits of recycling.

The resulting paper becomes both medium and message. Artists and workshop participants are invited to create works on these sheets, responding to the theme of tourism as they personally experience its effects on island ecosystems and communities. These contributions will form a collective exhibition that traces the journey of the material, from hospitality infrastructure to artistic surface.

Hotel Paper foregrounds the tension between production and responsibility, highlighting the importance of reduction over reuse. Investigating scalable solutions to textile waste, and situating material practice within a local context, the project opens space for reflection on how tourism shapes everyday life, careers, landscapes, and futures.

Otonom is a non-profit platform based on Tinos island initiated by Hypercomf, focusing on art-driven approaches to challenges in small island and rural contexts.

Hotel Paper is supported by NEON through its annual Grants Scheme.