BIOPLASTICS
2013 Juliette Pepin
92 Experiments on Bio-plasticity
BIOPLASTICS
2013 Juliette Pepin
92 Experiments on Bio-plasticity
VISUAL RESEARCH I gathered different visual informations concerning plasticity and bioplastic. From the use of plasitc to its texture, but also consequences, I made a clear visual mapping of the "context" to work in.
USES OF PLASTIC OBJECTS TRANSPORT PROTECT CONTAIN COVERS ELECTRONIC
Everyday objects, Toys, Designs, jewelery, ... Mobility objects (car interior, Manufactured pieces.) Food packaging, Health packaging, any packaging. Cups, Buckets, One use cutlery, Throwable objects. Fake lather, Plastic sheets, Sky, Latex. Circuits, Components, Case, Cables....
CONSEQUENCES ECOLOGICAL Plastic takes more then decades to disappear. Clear consequences such as the plastic soup, plastic Islands, poisoning of the fauna and flaura. HEALTH ` A long therm exposition to plastic can be cancergene.Highly inflamable causes a lot of accidents. PRODUCTION Mass production uses a lot of cheap weak plastics;
FIRST CONTACT I started by gathering recipes on open sources websites, as well as youtube, or the materiality network. I choose the one that came out the most, based on potatoe starch. I just combined the reciepe with different materiality aspect I am triggerd by, meaning texture, flexibility, strengh, color. And I also combined it with concrete in reason of an actual personnal interest. This first contact left me slightly septical when I looked back on the results, because of its limitations, and also a use of bad materials (I didn't had glycerine and used manzena instead of potatoe starch). Hopefully, the group meeting did me good in the way that it opened my research to way more possibilities within the material such as combining it with spices, but also to work on bigger scales, shapes...
BASIC RECIPE 1/ x Manzena 3/ x Water 1/2 x Vinegar 1/2 x Gelatine
Basic recipe. Basic recipe adding sugar.
Basic
Basic recipe adding soda powder. Basic recipe adding gelatine.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Fast. strange since other exp. did not.
Neutral. Good.
OK Slabby
Good
Touch
Basic recipe with more starch.
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Ok. A bit Rough Average Yellowish
Average
Sticky
Not usable
Average Yellowish
Average
Sticky
Usable
Ok. A bit Rough Average Yellowish
Average
Sticky
Not usable
Soda pouder
Good/none
Neutral. Good.
OK Slabby
Ok
More starch
Fast. strange since other exp. did not.
Neutral. Good.
OK Slabby
Good
Sugar
Good/none
Neutral. Good.
Weak
Really Flexible
Nice. Flabby
Average Yellowish
Average
Sticky
Not usable
Gelatine
Good/none
Neutral. Good.
Weak
Really Flexible
Nice. Flabby
Average Yellowish
Average
Sticky
Not usable
Smooth
Basic recipe Adding Red ink. Basic recipe adding concrete.
Moist
Basic recipe adding Yellow ink. Basic recipe on a layer of cncrete.
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Basic recipe adding blue ink. Basic Recipe adding milk and vinegar.
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Red ink
Slow
Ok almost no
OK Slabby
Ok
Ok. A bit Rough Average Red
Bad
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
yellow ink
Slow
Ok almost no
OK Slabby
Ok
Ok. A bit Rough Average Yellow
Bad
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
blue ink
Slow
Ok almost no
OK Slabby
Ok
Ok. A bit Rough Average Blue
Bad
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
Concrete
Good/none
Ok almost no
Really strong
None
Nicely rough
Organic grey
Nice texture
Really good
Usable
layer of concrete
Good/none
Ok almost no
Really strong
None
Nicely rough
organic stonish
OK
Moves when dries
Not usable
Milk and Vinegar
Good/none
Unpleasant
Really strong
None
Nicely rough
Deep Black
Nice texture
Ok
Usable
STARCH FOCUS Those experiment, as the title said, are focused on the starch. For those I worked in a really intuitive but organised way. First I compared ways of drying, then I modified the basic recipe, and I tried to combine the recipe with different elements that I found in my kitchen. The combining part was the most exiting, I got really triggered by the natural colors you can get out of differents spices but also everyday goods such as coffee or thee. I worked also on ways to make it stronger with concrete, or talc. The textured aspect really satisfied me, but the limitations of casting became more and more frustrating.
BASIC RECIPE 1/ x Starch 4/ x Water 1/2 x Vinegar 1/2 x Glycerol
Basic recipe in microwave. Basic recipe in oven.
Basic recipe deep fried. Basic recipe without vinegar.
Basic recipe dried with fresh air. Basic recipe adding salt.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Microwave
No
No
Good
Good
Nice and rough
Shiny transparent
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Fried
No
Oily
OK
Ok
Greasy
Yellowish
Nice pattern
Limited. Shrinks. Holes
Not usable
Fresh air
No
No
The thicker the stronger
The thicker the less
OK, better when thin
Transparent
Ok
Shrink and moves while drying. When thin moves less
Usable
Oven
No
Oily
Good
Ok
Greasy
Transparent slightly yellow
Random
Limited. Shrinks.
Not Usable
Without Vinegar
No
No
Ok. Good
Good
Smooth
White. Mat.
Good
Moves a little when dries
Usable
Salt
A little
Like rotten potatoe
Ok. Good
Random
Rough. Dirty
White. Grey. Green
Bad
Moves a little when dries
Usable
Basic recipe without glycerol. Basic recipe adding cane sugar.
Basic recipe adding monosodium glutane. Basic recipe adding soja sauce.
Basic recipe adding sugar. Basic recipe adding curry powder.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
No Glycerol
No
No
Terrible
No
Rough
White. Transparent
Crsytalic
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
Monosodium Glutane
No
No
Ok. Weak
Good
Crumbly.
Slightly Yellow
Random
Ok. Shrinks a bit
Not usable. But keep the propretties in mind.
Sugar
No
No
Good
Ok
Rough one side. Smooth other side.
Transparent
Random
Shrink and moves while drying.
Not usable
Cane Sugar
No
No
Good
Good
Smooth. Pleasant
Skin. Orange nuanced. Beautiful
Good
Shrink and moves while drying.
Usable
Soja
A little
Soja
Good
Good
Smooth. Soft
Dark Brown. Caramel.
Beautiful
Shrink and moves while drying.
Not usable
Curry
No
Curry
Ok
Bad
Smooth. Pleasant. A bit rough
Orange, Yellow's nuances. Goldish
Beautiful
Shrink and moves while drying.
Usable
Basic recipe adding sumac. Basic recipe adding talc and more starch.
Basic recipe adding thee Basic recipe adding talc.
Basic recipe adding coffee. Basic recipe adding a lot of coffee.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Thee
No
Slightly
Good
Good
Nice and smooth
Caramel nuances
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Sumac
No
Slightly
Really good
Random
Smooth a bit rough
Pinkish with grains
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Coffee
No
No
Good
Ok
Rough
Brown slightly transparent yellowish
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Talc
No
No
Strong but breakable
No
Really soft
White opac Ivory
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Talc and Glycerol
No
Slightly
Breakable
Bad
Random
White. Mat.
Bad
Breaks when dries
Not usable
Lots of coffee
A little
Slightly
Good but breakable
Bad
Rough buy smooyh
Deep brown
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Basic recipe adding coffee and less starch. Basic recipe adding concrete.
Basic recipe adding blue pigment.
Basic recipe adding yellow paint Ovened.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Blue pigment
No
No
Bad
Bad
Bad
Deep Blue
Bad
Self degrades whend dries
Not usable
Coffee less starch
No
No
Bad
Bad
Bad
Dark brown
Bad
Self degrades whend dries
Not usable
Yellow paint Ovened
No
No
Bad
Bad
Bad
Yellow
Bad
Self degrades whend dries
Not Usable
Concrete
No
No
Really Good
No
Rough
Grey Greenish
Random
Breaks if too hot
Not usable since it's just the concrete reaction
GELATINE:/ / AGAR AGAR I got a really repulsive reaction toward those recipe. First for its small functional propreties. I didn't saw any possibilities out of this material, because of its fast moisting, but also the fact that it's extremely weak and fragile. All of those, made my first experiments pretty much look like nothing I could use in the future. But instead of leting it be, I decided to work again on it, and combine it with starch. It gave to the basic recipe of starch way more flexibility and also a smoother texture. I decided to live the gelatine behind, but figured out that the agar agar is for shure usable.
BASIC RECIPE GELATINE / AGAR AGAR 1/ x Gelatine 4/ x Water 1/2 x Vinegar 1/2 x Glycerol
1/ x Agar Agar 4/ x Water 1/2 x Vinegar 1/x Starch
Basic recipe. Basic recipe microwaved.
Basic recipe adding agar agar. Basic recipe adding dried bamboo.
Basic recipe adding more starch. Basic recipe adding coffee.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Basic
No
Bad
Ok
Good
Sticky
Shiny green
Bad
Sticks
Not usable
Agar Agar
No
Bad
Ok
Good
Glummy
Green
Bad
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
No
Bad
Good
Good
Good
Mat green
Bad
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
Microwaved
No
No
Strong but breakable
No
Rough
Green, caramelised brown
Bad
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
Bamboo
Yes
Nauseus
Bad
Ok
Greasy
Brown greenish
Bad
Moist, expand
Not usable
Nauseus
Bad
Bad
Discusting
Deep brown
Terrible
Moist, expand
Not usable
Starch
Coffee
Terribly
Basic recipe adding agar agar and starch casted.
Basic recipe casted.
Basic recipe more starch, casted.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Starch, casted
Yes
Bad
Weak
Ok
Glummy
Soft Green
Dirty
Self degrades whend dries
Not usable
Casted
Yes
Bad
Weak
Ok
Glummy
Transparent shiny green
Ok
Expands when out of the molt
Not usable
Agar, starch, casted
Yes
Bad
Weak
Bad
Bad
Soft Green
Bad
Expands when out of the molt
Not Usable
Basic recipe pummice powder microwave. Basic recipe sugar ocre powder.
Basic recipe adding starch ocre powder. Basic recipe sugar microwaved.
Basic starch microwaved. Basic recipe sesamee seeds.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Pummice powder
No
A bit
Weak
Breaks
Soft, sandy
Nice powdery grey
Good
Breaks while drying
Not usable
Starch, Ocre powder
No
No
Good
Good
Soft, Hard
Organic Orange
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Starch Microwaved
No
No
Good
Good
Shiny soft plasticy
Transparent
Good
Shrink and moves while drying
Usable
Sugar, Ocre powder
No
No
Weak, Bouncy
A little
Watery,greasy
Soft Orange
Random
Breaks and moves while drying
Not usable
Sugar Microwaved
No
No
Good
Good
Greasy, sticky, watery
Transparent
Ok
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
Sesamee seeds.
No
Sesamee
Ok
Ok
Nice, crumbly
Brown, Beige
Good
Good
Usable
Basic recipe blue pig. more agar microwaved. Basic recipe ocre powder.
Basic recipe agar agar microwaved. Basic recipe Blue pigment.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Blue Pig. Agar Microwavedmice powder
No
A bit
Ok
Spongy
Agar Microwaved
No
No
Ok
Good
Latex
Blue pigment
No
No
Weak
Random
Ocre powder
No
No
The thicker the stronger
Blue pigment
No
No
Pummice powder
No
Sesamee
Touch
Basic recipe blue pigment. Basic recipe pummice powder.
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Good
Melts while heated
Usable
Transparent
Good
Good casting, a bit of bubbles
Usable
Shiny soft plasticy
Mat clear Blue
Ok
Shrink and moves while drying
Not usable
Good
Soft, Like a plastic foild
Deep orange
Good
Doesnt move too much while drying
Usable
Good
Good
Soft, Like a plasShiny Electric Blue tic foild
Ok
Doesnt move too much while drying
Not usable (colorwise)
Ok
Good
Soft, Like a plastic foild
Good
Doesnt move too much while drying
Usable
Spongy, Watery Burnt Dark Blue
White, Grey
MILK Working with milk was a real discovery. I won't use the result for my projects, but I think it's a material with great potential concerning sustainable material and food packaging. Geting over the repulsive aspect of it, I explored the way to dry it, cast it and combine it with other materials. Unfortunately a lot of the samples moist, but the one that didn't resulted in a really strong material, that keeps well the colors, and is quite easy to shape.
BASIC RECIPE MILK 1 glass/ x Milk 6 T-spoon/ x Vinegar
Basic recipe dried outside. Basic recipe dried on a foil sheet.
Basic recipe dried in an oven. Basic recipe microwave.
Basic recipe dried outside then boiled. Basic recipe casted in a sock.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Dried outside
Fast
Terrible
OK Slabby
None
Greasy
Average Yellow
Bad
Good
Not usable
Dried oven
Fast
Terrible
OK Slabby
None
Greasy
Average Yellow
Bad
Good
Not usable
Boilled
Fast
Terrible
OK Slabby
None
Greasy
Average Yellow
Bad
Good
Not usable
Dried on a foil
Ok
Unpleasant
Weak
Slightly
Greasy
Ivory
Nice texture
Moves when dries
Usable
Microwaved
Good/none
Ok almost no
Weak
None
Triggering organic
Random
Usable
Casted in a sock
Slow but there
Unpleasant
Weak
Almost none
Nice texture
Limited by the sock
Usable
Nicely rough Orangy nuanced Nicely rough
Ivory
Basic recipe casted on a bowl. Basic recipe adding food fibre.
Basic recipe casted in a cup. Basic recipe adding sand.
Basic recipe adding coffee. Basic recipe adding red condrete.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Slow but there
Unpleasant
Weak
Slightly
Greasy
Average Yellow
Average
Casted cup
Fast
Terrible
OK bit weak
Slightly
Greasy
Average Yellow
Bad
Coffee
Good/none
Terrible
Falling appart
None
Soft
Dark brown
Bad
Food fibre
Good/none
Terrible
OK Slabby
Bouncy
Unpleasant
Organic Beige
Average
Disintegrates
Not usable
Sand
Good/none
Terrible
Strong
None
Nicely rough
Ivory Grey
Triggering Precious
OK
Usable
Red concrete
Slow but there
Terrible
Ok slabby
Bouncy
Nicely rough
Red ocre
Attractive
Shrinks
Not usable
Casted bowl
Casting Ok Moves a lot when dries Bad
CCL Usable Not usable Not usable
Basic recipe adding marine blue pigment. Basic recipe adding concrete.
Basic recipe adding cumin.
Basic recipe adding ocre pigment.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Cumin
Ok
Ok
Good
None
Nice rough
Average Brown: Yellow
Bad
Good
Not usable
Blue pigment
Ok
Terrible
Weak
None
Nice rough
Deep Blue
Ok
Good
Usable
Ocre pigment
Fast
Terrible
Weak
None
Nice rough
Pink ocre
Bad
Bad
Not usable
Concrete
Fast
Terrible
Ok slabby
None
Nice rough
Average grey
Bad
Disintegrate
Not usable
FIBRES Working with fibres combined with bioplastic (based on starch) was the most exiting part of my research. I got really triggered by the new and unusual materials you can get out of it. unexpected textures, organic colors. All of that drove me to new possibilities of projects. My beach object project came out of the sand research for example. Combining fibres is also a way to "recycle" fibres such as coffee waste, but also hairs, and even paper watse. Wich makes it even more sustainable.
BASIC RECIPE FIBRE 1/ x Starch 4/ x Water 1/ x Fibre 1/2 x Vinegar 1/2 x Glycerol
Basic recipe adding sand. Basic recipe adding sand casted.
Basic recipeadding red concrete. Basic recipe adding mud.
Basic recipe adding concrete. Basic recipe adding concrete casted.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Sand
Slightly
Sand slightly moist
Random
None
Nicely Rough
Grey Beige
Good
Good
Usable
Red Concrete
No
None
Random
None
It really feels like plastic
Brick Orange
Good
Random
Usable
Concrete
No
None
Random
None
Rough
Grey Greenish
Radom
Good
Not usable
Casted sand
No
Sand
None
Nicely Rough
Grey Beige
Good
Good
Usable
Mud
Lots, Fast
Moist
None
Repulsive
Crazy color range of moist
Good
Random
Not usable
Casted Concrete
None
None
Random Weak Extremely Weak Extremely Strong
None
Rough
Grey Greenish
Ok
Good
Not usable
Basic recipe adding paper ashes. Basic recipe dried on a foil paper.
Basic recipe adding paper flat cast. Basic recipe adding wood waste cleaned.
Basic recipe adding paper concrete and thee. Basic recipe adding paper casted..
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Fast
Moist Unpleasant
Weak
None
Repulsive
Moisted colors
Ok
Bad
Not usable
None
None
Good
None
Rough
Grey Stone
Good
Ok
Usable
Paper Thee and Concrete
No
Thee
Good
None
Rough smooth
Organic yellow brown
Good
Good
Usable
Paper
None
None
Good
None
Rough
Grey stone
Good
Ok
Usable
Wood Waste
Little
Slighlty
Ok
None
smooth, rogh, woodish
Pale yelow, orangy
Good
Good
Usable
Casted Paper
None
None
Good
None
Nicely rough
Grey Stone
Good
Shrinks a little bit
Usable
Ashes Paper Flat Casted
Basic recipe combined with knitt. Basic recipe comb. with knitt casted..
Basicadding human hairs. Basic recipe adding oats and talc casted.
Basic recipecombined with textile. Basic recipe comb. with thights casted.
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Flexibility
Touch
Color
Outlook
Casting
CCL
None
Ok
Ok, Bit weak
None
Soft and rough
Depending on the knitt
Good
Moves and shrinks when dries
Usable
Fast
Bad
Random
Repulsive
Pink skinish
Repulsive because of the moist
Ok
Not usable
Combined textile
None
Ok
Good
Good
Soft
Depending on the textile
Good
Moves when dries
Usable
Knitt casted
None
None
Good
None
Depends on the knitt
Depends on the knitt
Good
Good
Usable
Oast and talc
Good/none
None
Ok a bit weak
None
Good
Good
Usable
Tights Casted
None
None
Ok
None
Random
Moves a bit
Not usable
Knitt Human Hairs
Ok
Extremely soft White, Off white Rough
Pink Brown
Basic recipe combined with felting.
Basic recipe combined with textile fibre. Basic recipe combined with felt on the surface.
Flexibility
Basic recipe combined with felt microwaved..
Touch
Color
Ok
Soft Fiberish
Depend on the felt
Ok
Ok
Smooth
White off white
Slightly
Ok
None
Rough
None
Ok slightly weak
Slightly
Soft
Moist
Smell
Strengh
Felting
Some
Slightly
Good
Textile Fibre
Some
Unpleasant
Microwaed felt
None
Fibre on the surface
None
Depends on the felt Depends on the felt
Outlook
Casting
CCL
Ok
Good
Not usable
Ok
Good
Not usable
Ok
Ok
Not usable
Good, look like Good, moves animal skin a bit
Usable