Artist who uses LEATHER

Hendrik Vrey

“Born on 11 September 1951 on a farm outside the small town of Niekerkshoop in South Africa, but growing up surrounded by the raw, stark and powerful beauty of Namibia (then South West Africa), Hendrik Vrey has dedicated over 40 years of his life to developing a truly unique and special art form - Pyrography.

Pyrography means "writing with fire" and is the traditional art of using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural materials such as wood or leather. In 1967, Hendrik rediscovered this ancient technique, and has developed it to such an extent as to be considered the best in the world in his field. Starting out by burning pictures onto apple box planks with pieces of wire heated by a campfire, today he uses electrical soldering irons on tanned cow hide. An extremely versatile artist, his themes range from portraits and character studies to landscapes, wildlife and many, many more.”

http://www.thenamibiaguide.com/en/content/hendrik-vrey-leather-art

http://www.hendrikvrey.com/

Artist who uses JUTE

Tendai Johnson

From the Artist's Statement:

 “Of equal importance is the conceptual and expressive potential of material that I use to make this visible in my creative investigation.  I have been incorporating jute (burlap) for this very reason.  It is a material that is widely used for utilitarian purposes in Zimbabwe, as well as in many non-western nations.  In my work, jute is metaphorically used to situate the cultural meaning of place juxtaposed with humanity’s changing conditions.  I express this metaphor through the following process: an initial under-painting in acrylic, followed by an obsessive application of various sizes and shapes of jute, using its interweaving nature as a “cross-hatch” in response to planar analysis; and a final layer of oil paint on the surface of the jute.  Additionally, jute is adhered to the canvas by a polymer binder, which is an invisible plastic element that was developed in the west. In this process, I attempt to express a new hybridity that reflects the increasingly globalized society of today, whereby individuals live on the borders of cultures and between cultures, identities and positionalities.  Thereby, I attempt to integrate image, material and color as inseparable and expressive elements of the human condition.”

http://tendaijohnson.com

Materials Research

What materials are made from vegetables?

CURRAN

1.   What is the origin of the material

CURRAN is a carrot-based material

2. What are the methods of refining the material

It is manufactured using a top-secret method that has been five years in the making. Nano fibers found in carrots are extracted and combined with high tech resins enabling tough, durable components to be molded to whatever shape, degree of stiffness, strength or lightness required.  The strong nano-fibers from this carrot "soup" are then extracted so that they can be processed in a variety of ways. 
Most of the water is removed and hi-tech resins are added to the mix. This mixture can then be molded and heated to make a strong material.

3. What are the environmental impacts of the material

No harmful impact

4. What are the sustainable aspects of the material

Around 30% of carrots get rejected, and local producers supply the company, CelluComp Ltd, with this secondary source not used for human consumption.

5. What are the range of objects that are made from the material

Currently the company makes fishing rods using this material. They also plan on making snowboards and car parts, and even battleships.

(http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/curran.html)

Jute

1.   What is the origin of the material

Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. The jute fiber comes from the stem and ribbon (outer skin) of the jute plant.

2. What are the methods of refining the material

The fibers are first extracted by retting. Then stripping begins: non-fibrous matter is scraped off, then the workers dig in and grab the fibers from within the jute stem.

3. What are the environmental impacts of the material

4. What are the sustainable aspects of the material

Jute fiber is 100% bio-degradable and recyclable and thus environmentally friendly and sustainable.

5. What are the range of objects that are made from the material

Industrial yarn, fabric, net, and sacks, floor coverings, carpet, backing cloth (CBC), and canvas. It is also used for making fashion &  promotional bags.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jute)

What materials are made from Animals?

LEATHER

1.   What is the origin of the material

Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide.

2. What are the methods of refining the material

It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry. The leather manufacturing process is divided into three fundamental sub-processes: preparatory stages, tanning, and crusting.

3. What are the environmental impacts of the material

Leather is a product with high environmental impact, most notably    due to:

▪                the impact of livestock

▪                the heavy use of polluting chemicals in the tanning process

▪                air pollution due to the transformation process

 Leather biodegrades slowly; it takes 25–40 years to decompose. 

4. What are the sustainable aspects of the material

Cow leather is a bi-product of the beef industry, the vegetable-tanned variety is the most sustainable one.

5. What are the range of objects that are made from the material

     Clothes, shoes, handbags, furniture, etc.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leather)

  

WOOL

1.   What is the origin of the material

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals.

2. What are the methods of refining the material

Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. Then it gets washed.

3. What are the environmental impacts of the material

Wool is an animal protein, and as such it can be used as a soil   fertilizer, being a slow release source of nitrogen and ready made amino acids.

      4. What are the sustainable aspects of the material

Each sheep produces large amount of wool over the lifetime. Wool can also be recycled by cutting or tearing apart existing wool fabric and respinning the resulting fibers.

5. What are the range of objects that are made from the material

In addition to clothing, wool has been used for blankets, horse rugs, carpeting, felt, etc.

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wool)

What materials are made from Minerals?

CLAY

1.   What is the origin of the material

Clay is a naturally occurring aluminum silicate composed primarily of fine-grained minerals

2. What are the methods of refining the material

Clay is excavated from the deposit site.

    

     3.What are the environmental impacts of the material

No impact

4. What are the sustainable aspects of the material

     Clay is naturally-occurring geologic sustainable material.
   

5. What are the range of objects that are made from the material

     Bricks, cooking pots, art objects, dish ware, etc.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay)

SAND

1. What is the origin of the material

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.

2. What are the methods of refining the material

The raw material undergoes intensive, repetitive routines of   screen sizing, washing, and classifying until a stockpile of the desired sand grain size has been extracted from the “raw sand”. It is then dehydrated and dried to obtain the final product.

3. What are the environmental impacts of the material

4. What are the sustainable aspects of the material

Sand mining is a direct and obvious cause of erosion, and also impacts the local wildlife.

Sand's many uses require a significant dredging industry, raising environmental concerns over fish depletion, landslides, and flooding.
Sand can be recycled.

5. What are the range of objects that are made from the material

Glass: Sand is the principal component in common glass. Used in Water filtration, Sandbags, Brick, etc.

      (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand)

Flat Pack / CHAIR

                             Flat Pack Cardboard Chair and stool designs of David Graas:

(http://dornob.com/flat-pack-furniture-eco-friendly-cardboard-chair-designs)

Andrew Pelikan

(http://inhabitat.com/fabulous-flatpack-furniture/)

Material: WOOD

Here are 5 designers/companies that use WOOD in a sustainable way.

                         

                           Mathias Bengtsson's Zebra-Like Biodegradablr Paper Chair
Created by Danish-born, London-based designer Mathias Bengtsson, this stripy, layered chair is made from thousands of paper sheets glued together. The Paper Chair is a great example of the potential of eco-design, as it has no frame, no joints and no screws, but still manages to boast a stunning, modern form! (inhabitat.com)

                                                    

                                                     Tree-trunk bench by Jurgen Bey

Dutch designer Jurgen Bey found a way to use a fallen tree, and make it into a seat. The addition of chair backs makes it a proper piece of furniture, a crossing between nature and culture. Jurgen Bey makes clear that it is ridiculous to transport trees when they are locally available. Therefore only the chair backs are for sale. (http://www.droog.com/store/furniture/tree-trunk-bench/)

                                                            Jewelry by BillyWould
Billy Would’s designs are simple, handmade, organic and reclaimed – created by rescuing exotic hardwoods from various local woodworkers and factories and taking wood recycling one step further by providing another valuable use -  jewelry.(http://www.woodindesign.com/2011/04/27/billy-would-designs/) 

Lounge Chair by Gursan Ergil Design Studio is made out of reclaimed wood (http://www.ratioblog.com/?p=1892#more-1892)

Istanbul based Gursan Ergil Design Studio has designed an eco-friendly modern furniture, with traditional craftsmanship of wood shaping and joinery. Each furniture carefully retreated, handcrafted and finished with environmentally friendly methods. The furniture is made of reclaimed materials. (http://plusmood.com/2009/08/eco-friendly-modern-furniture-gursan-ergil-design-studio/)

Comieco

Comieco started in 1985 as an association of environment‐friendly paper mills and paper and board manufacturers; today it gathers over 3,500 italian companies. On of the examples of the innovation promotion of Comieco is Life. Life is a recyled paper-made water container designed for Milano Expo 2015 presented to Comieco Expopack Design Competition in 2011. It’s a product designed to promote the reduction of plastic containers and a sustainable culture about water and natural resources. Life can be used as a 1 day bottle, that can be refilled several times. Made by recycled paper, it doesn’t use any chemical ink or adhesive difficult to be recycled. A double stitch ensures the insulation from outside and give rigidity to the object. The green cord, that allows the users to bring it as a shoulder bag, is made by natural cotton and is wrapped around the paper body. (http://www.design-4-sustainability.com/case_studies/55-paper-recycling-in-italy)

Sustainable design

     Sustainable design (also called environmental design, environmentally sustainable design, environmentally conscious design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.

     Sustainable design considers the environmental impacts of design products throughout a life cycle that includes: raw material; transformation; manufacturing; transportation; use; and disposal.       Techniques for sustainable design include: reducing the amount of materials required for production; using materials made with recycled, post-consumer waste; and using production and distribution methods that require the least amount of transport.

     Sustainable design is mostly a general reaction to global environmental crises, the rapid growth of economic activity and human population, depletion of natural resources, damage to ecosystems, and loss of biodiversity.

Some of the Sustainable Design Principles include:

 ▪ Low-impact materials: non-toxic, sustainably produced or recycled materials which require little energy to process

• Energy efficiency
• Quality and durability