In August 1999 the collection of repurposed and repaired utilitarian objects was extended by a substantial section. The objects were left behind by Nana Petzet’s great aunt Erika and great uncle Hermann who, at the age of 90 and 94, both died in 1998. The Duprés had lived in a remote house in the Austrian Alps since 1950. Nana Petzet’s great aunt, who most likely had repaired the majority of the objects, belonged to the generation who had lived through the hardship of two world wars and, particularly in the post-war era of war, had dealt with considerable shortages in many areas of life. The objects resulting from this experience are testimonies to a dying culture in western Europe of a value-preserving handling of everyday objects and the reuse of all kinds of materials. They have since been shown internationally in various theme-based exhibitions, such as Models of Resistance at Overgaden, Institute of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen in 2000 or Flickgut at the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur in 2004.