Exploring the visual and tangible expression of geometric forms in imperfect repetition through plant based materials.

Material Transformations challenges the perception of textile surfaces for the designer and the audience to open up a wider range of possibilities for sustainable design products in future. Sustainability has become an everyday life issue since industry, media and the consumer started to deal with environmental pollution and social conditions within production processes. Improving existing processes and conditions behind traditional design is important but only one way. This project starts from another point of view. Instead of replacing existing processes with more sustainable ones the material itself sets the starting point. The irregular beauty of plant based materials is emphasized through imperfect repetitions to create a weirdness of touch and sound that makes the audience curious about its origin.

Locally available plants and botanical food waste are collected for dying tests. Dyestuffs that give powerful colours are applied on repurposed cotton cloth, Tencel fibres and coloured water is used to produce bio plastic in the same colour range. During the experiments the focus lies on the combination of these materials to create a high tactility within geometrically ordered surfaces. Tactility is seen as the sensible variety in structures and heights within one surface.

Because of their playful visual and tangible expression the designs invite the audience to touch, sit or even walk on them to experience its multisensory properties. The pieces could be placed in living spaces or educational institutions to brighten up the every-day life and stimulate the sensory system of a young to adult audience. An experience with a passerby showed that even the sound during the interaction with the textiles is intriguing since the combination of traditional fibre material and bio plastics generates a paper like crunch.

The space where the designs are placed do not only profit from the colourful and tactile expression of the work, it is planned to positively influence the atmosphere because of the used materials. Botanical dyestuffs require the usage of natural fibres because synthetic materials do not take these colours. Cellulosic and regenerated cellulosic fibres are also chosen because of their characteristics to improve the indoor air climate. The final outcome profits from the environmental friendliness (sustainability) and usage of plant materials during the planning and production processes. Current studies explain that the input of chemicals and (synthetic) toxics during the production processes affect the indoor climate during the usage phase of the surface later on. The plant based designs will therefore help to raise the indoor air quality because of the non polluting materials that are used. Working with the standards of sustainable – non toxic – materials and processes the design will be manufactured under environmentally friendly standards (aiming for: no harmful chemicals, low water consumption, low energy consumption, low material consumption, low-waste production) so the process is as non polluting and non-toxic as the finished design.