Material kin : a maker's guide
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2018
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Using readily available ingredients and processes and a practice-based approach, ๐๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ช๐ฏ seeks to answer the question: how can sustainable materials be developed in preparation for a range of possible futures?
I started this project by researching a wide range of sources while experimenting by mixing different types of ingredients. These investigations in the studio led to unexpected discoveries forming relations and connections between the ingredients, processes and myself as a designer. Drawing on Donna Harawayโs use of the term โkinshipโ, I have called the results โmaterial kinโ, which are linked by relationships rather than genealogy or hierarchy. Tony Fryโs theory of sustainment and a quality economy have also informed this project by offering a post-natural position on sustainability. An outworking of post-natural sustainability is that hybridity is encouraged through the substitution of various ingredients and processes.
As I became more involved with the process of creating new materials for possible futures, my emphasis shifted from generating new materials and exploring their uses, to developing a process of making materials through kinship. The method of creating Material Kin is carefully articulated through the rubric of a game, whereas the specific Material Kin remain speculative, ambiguous and contingent of possible futures. In addition to articulating the process of creating the materials, I wanted to be able to share this knowledge easily with other DIY material makers both now and in the future, finding an aesthetic and design approach that were appropriate for DIY maker communities. ๐๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ช๐ฏ: ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ถ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ is the designed research artefact for this project.
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