Zac
VALUES
MATERIAL
Pepere
Parson’s School of Design Studio | Capstone Erika Doering & Erika Hanson 05/09/2019
Contents Introduction Research Concept Case Study Application Process Final Models Speculation Conclusion
Contributors Healthy Materials Lab Otway NYC
“TODAY’S WASTE, TOMORROW’S RAW MATERIAL” Radical Matter
Introduction Since the industrial revolution, consumer culture has driven every aspect of our lives. Our obsessive need to consume has created an overwhelming demand for commodities, resulting in over-production and increasing waste materials. We now face the challenge of appropriately dealing with the abundance of these waste materials. Rather than creating extra systems to dispose of such materials, it may be more effective to re-imagine the existing systems in place, transitioning from our traditional linear structures to ones that support a more circular ecosystem.
This starts with questioning our perceptions of value so that every material is treated with respect for its origins and its eventual impact on our environment.
The Value Paradox Our relationship with materials
Though subjective, humans possess an intrinsic desire for perfection. With this, we base our concepts of value within materials that retain certain qualities. Common themes that contribute to value are durability, weight, cost, surface finish and historical context. There may be a unique opportunity within the materials outside of this value bracket.
Survey I explored this idea by conducting a survey of around 100 New York City residents, asking them what do you consider to be a ‘cheap’ material?
Criteria: No questions were asked regarding person’s profession or general background. Idea of ‘cheap’ was left open-ended. May refer to cost or personal identifiers etc. Answers were categorized into general materiality.
Answers I received
Papers
38
Plastics
41
Other
18
Concept By replacing elements within a products life-cycle and supply chain, we can prolong the disposal of adequate materials. In place of sourcing virgin materials (much of which cannot support our extreme demand), we may use byproduct materials from waste streams that would otherwise be discarded.
Pictured left: Kodai Iwamoto, Plastic Blowing. Iwamoto uses off-cuts of PVC piping and blows them into beautiful, functional vases.
PAPERS
PLASTICS
FOOD Harvesting Virgin Materials
The black and grey lines represent the traditional life cycle of cheap, disposable materials. My system (orange) acts as an extension of this life-cycle, extending the use of these materials.
Manufacturing / Processing
Distribution
Short use compared to other elements in life-cycle
Use Disposal
Sourcing: Waste Materials
Extended Use
Longer use when value is changed
Disposal
My proposed system
Case study:
restaurant industry waste I wanted to test this material sourcing concept within a specific environment. Restaurants seemed fitting, as the industry creates one of the largest waste-streams in the world.* They also live largely within the disposable material world , which merits the idea of value transformation. I asked the question, how can I shift our value perception of these cheap, disposable materials so that they become desirable?
*Containers and packaging alone contribute over 23% of the material reaching landfills in the U.S. *Between 4 and 10 percent of food purchased by food service operations in the U .S . is thrown out before reaching the plate. www.EPA.gov
Otway NYC
Otway is a semi-fine-dining American restaurant, with an emphasis on seasonal cooking and produce. We have both in-house bread and pastry chefs, as well as an extensive coffee program with dine-in and to-go options. The restaurant has around a 42 seat capacity, so it would be considered small, in
Observations During the period of a week, I documented the restaurants waste accumulation. The majority of the waste, which came from food deliveries and customer left-overs, comprised of paper and plastic based packaging materials, among food and other compostable scraps.
I started collecting these materials and setting up my own ‘waste library’ to be used for constructing my designs.
Pictured right: milk bottle and egg carton accumulation over one day.
Material selection: paper waste & food by-product
Food and beverage packaging
Menus and display items
To be used as primary material
Organic by-products (coffee grounds & black beans)
To be used as dyes and colorants
Product opportunity After consulting the restaurant owner and manager, we discussed the opportunity to design a new bread and pastry display for the front counter, as they were unhappy with their current parchment paper display. From here, I looked to create a collection of table-top display vessels that would promote the restaurants own seasonal, circular ecosystem.
Pictured left: egg cartons
Inspiration Inspiration for the collection derived primarily from the unique formations and patterns created through the industrial processing of paperpulp packaging.
Upon close inspection, the repetitive formations within paper packaging resemble landscapes. Many of these nuances go unnoticed due to the under-valued nature of these disposable materials.
I also looked to certain architectural references for form inspiration. I became interested in brutalist structures that combine sweeping curves with hard edges, which could create a unique language within an object.
This translated itself into the form of a rounded vessel and angular stand.
Making Process
The making of my paper pulp vessels became highly intimate. It is a simple, personal process, which put me in touch with the material. There were four steps within the making process. Shredding the raw material, soaking the shreddings, draining and adding adhesive, and finally forming. I went through
multiple iterations of this process in order to create the most workable pulp mixture. These iterations included amount of time the shreddings would soak for, types of and ratios for the adhesives, and also dye variations.
Pictured above: adding shreddings to a large container to be soaked. This is an important step in the process, as it breaks down the papers fibers, making it easier to bind.
Pictured right: adding black bean dye to the shreddings. The final pulp would vary in color saturation depending on how long it was soaked for.
I tested a variety of natural adhesives until I found one that created the best consistency. Potato starch seemed to be best option.
Pictured above: forming paper pulp over mold. To create the round vessels, the pulp was layered over a semi-spherical mold, and then set aside until completely dry.
Pictured left: forming vessel stands. To create these stands, paper pulp was added to silk screens and then evenly flattened. Due to the porosity of the screen, this allowed for consistent and fast drying.
The vessels can be moved and rotated within their respective stands. This seemed suitable for a restaurant counter setting, as they can be pointed towards the customers, allowing for an easier view of the goods on display.
Conclusions
This project is a result of a curiosity for material exploration and a questioning of our value systems. In an age of designers whose sensibilities consciously acknowledge our social and environmental impact, it is important we learn from the mistakes made by generations preceding us. Many of the systems and standards we follow as designers and citizens of the world pertain to a time in which consumer culture ultimately dictated the way we thought... and to the majority it still does. These systems are based around the idea of taking. Taking with the assumption that resources are infinite, despite knowing they’re not. Taking because it’s simply what we’re used to doing. Through my research of material values, I’ve learned the important lesson of understanding context. We base our ideas of desirability in the context of consumer culture. However, this is only a perception of value, and having an understanding of this allows one to imagine ways in which we might change this perception. I started my project by wanting to transform materials we consider to be ‘cheap’ and turn them into objects of beauty. My path was changed, however, when I started thinking of the larger picture, rather than simply the end result. Yes, I have proven that paper can be as beautiful as stone or metal, but more importantly I have put forth a methodology that can be expanded upon infinitely, especially as industry continues to create new types of waste. This methodology asks the question, why not use materials that are being discarded? Materials that are abundant and free.
By working with one material so closely, I have developed a deeper appreciation for materials in general. I have developed an understanding that the micro reflects the macro, and that ones design process can become ones life ethos... hopefully for the benefit of the world.
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