GREEN SOLID COLLECTION
Designer: AMAM / KOSUKE ARAKI, NORIAKI MAETANI, AKIRA MURAOKA
Material: Pine-resin, Vegetable wax, Rice, Sawdust and Japanese Washi paper
This project can be thought of as a continuous research into natural materials from our previous project Agar Plasticity, which explores a potential usefulness of agar derived from red algae as an alternative to synthetic plastics.
In ‘Green Solid Collection’ which consists of several different processes of material experimentations, we have been revisiting plant-based materials and the techniques of processing them in search for alternative use of them, especially focusing on the ones rooted in Japanese culture. For example, we refer to an old composite used for hairstyling and a glue made from rice, which some carpenters used even in constructing a house.
In ‘Green Solid Collection’, We revisit plant-based materials and processing the techniques of processing them found especially in the Japanese culture and aim to utilize those elements innovatively.
The ‘Green’ in the title implies not only that the materials we play with are all derived from plants but also that they are ecological. Nowadays, when making something tough, pliable or waterproof, synthetic resin-based materials can be the first choice, but they are not often good for the environment. Even though each composites in this collection is comprised of nothing but plant-based materials, which are probably too familiar to be rediscovered, it still achieves innovative properties which could be regarded as unachievable without using materials containing synthetic resins.
This is another one of our research to find ecological ways of making our life better and healthier.