Biobased

In Broeinest, the place where I’m doing my internship, we have a permanent exhibition of ‘Materia‘. It is the global network in the area of innovative materials and every four months the theme off the exhibition changes. From January till April the theme off the exhibition was called ‘Biobased’. I wanted to get to know more about the various projects based on this theme and I want to share my selection of projects that caught my attention!

People use different meanings off the term ‘Biobased’. One of the explanations could be: ‘Derived from living organisms, both plant and animal, biobased materials feature a low CO2 footprint, low energy costs and generate no – or minimal – pollution. Examples include bioplastics, compostable materials, fungi and algae as a new raw material, ‘waste’ materials such as coffee grounds and nut shells or chitin from shrimp shells, and new materials made from wool, leather, hemp and nettles. The source of raw, biobased materials available is inexhaustible. Residual materials from the agriculture and forestry sectors also offer economically interesting material inspiration’ (Materia).

Studio Thomas Vaily – Reconfiguration of a tree
by David Derksen, Thomas Vaily, Gardar Eiolfsson & Lex Pott

The project of Thomas Vaily, ‘reconfiguration of a tree’, is a proposal to go back (return) to the basics and to develop new materials with natural building blocks. With this project, Thomas Vaily, is examing the pinus pinaster, a resinous tree that was cut down for the production of pitch.

Because of the wide range of synthetic alternatives for resin, the harvesting of resin has become a vanishing industry.

To re-examine the production system, studio Thomas Vaily focuses itself mainly on the qualities of the material. In this way, not only the tree, but all the parts of the pinus pinaster have been used to transform it into a black substance with completely new properties.

Then, four designers have been asked to create new objects with resin and wood.

Studio Thomas Vaily

Gardar Eyjólfsson

 

Lex Pott & David Derksen

Marlene Huissoud – Of insects & Men

Marlene Huissoud is a French material designer who comes from a family of beekeepers. She is ‘interested in the viability of utilising insects and their wase streams to create future craft artefacts'(M, Huissoud).

Insects & Men explores the beauty of honeybee bio resin. Her new piece has been shown on Salone del Mobile in Milan at La Terrace. Her stunning new piece continues her exploration of bio resin, the material produced by the honey bee as waste, but now combining it with commonly discarded human glass waste. The pieces question the idea of how two waste materials, natural and industrial can complement each other (given an up-cycling approach)
The honeybee ressin is used to bind the glass pieces together in those sculptural ‘alien look’ pieces.

‘It is questioning and underlying the way of how we use materials nowadays and in the future’ (Domusweb).

 

Fruit Leather

Designers from Willem de Kooning have been asked to design something to prevent food waste. They discovered that on a market near/close to the academy, more than 3,500 kilos of unmarketable fruits and vegetables remain everyday. They decided to use these products to create leather. ‘Food isn’t trash, you just need to find a different purpose for the existing material’ they said.

‘What we want to achieve with this project is to create awareness of the problem of food waste and show that there is a solution’.

By using the name ‘Fruit leather Rotterdam‘, the designers are experiencing with the material. Back in the days the technique has been used to produce candy and snacks (still). And now they have already created a bag made of mango’s!

Mandy den Elzen – Goat stomach Leather

Mandy den Elzen is a visual artist who approaches materials with a scientific and meticulous approach. Working with special left-over animal parts, den Elzen looks to expand the number of animal parts that can be tanned an used for leather, thus making better use of available resources.

With her work ‘The Equine Digestive System’, Mandy den Elzen continues her extensive research into the process of making leather from animal organs. She has worked with cow stomachs and now with goat stomachs as well. The stomachs of herbivorous animals especially, have beautiful structures. Possible applications include fashion and accesoires (Materia).

Her work questions’ society’s attitudes towards the use of animal parts in our everyday world and within the leather production industry in particular.

 

 

REECONOMY.2

This is the second post about the reeconomy, read the first post to not mis the introduction.

Simone Post 

Simone Post is a Dutch textile and product designer. Central to her designs are the experimental process, the material research and the fascination of how things are made. She likes collaborating with companies as her own way to explore the limits of the industry. A good example is her work Post-Vlisco, an extensive material research on to the waste of Vlisco, leads to a very surprising, aesthetic but also industrial application. With this project, she was seen at the graduation show of the Dutch Design Academy during the Dutch Design Week in October.

The story of Vlisco is remarkable. Since 1846, the factory in Helmond has been making textile with colorful waxprints from high quality and with a batik based technique. These fabrics are immensely popular in West Africa, where they are mainly used for clothing. So Vlisco’s designs set the scene in countries like Ghana, Ivory Coast and Congo.

Because of the complex, traditional production methods and the high quality standards, many fabric ends up in the trash heap. After extensive material research, Simone Post gives this wase a new life. With folding and laser technology she makes fabric panels with motives to divide and emphasize areas. Other misprints are wound up into round rugs or formed into covers for stools. With endless color combinations Simone creates a unique product every time. In this way, wase regains a new value.

(Crafscouncil)