Indicative project focus first draft
Outline of project focus
For my postgraduate studies at Camberwell College of Arts, my research project will address issues of marine pollution and the coastal ecosystem, particularly the impact of industrial waste and chemical pollution generated by human society on marine ecosystems. My research aims to find solutions and repurpose these byproducts through design. Courtney Mattison's work transforms corals, a common species found on the ocean floor, into large-scale ceramic art installations, bringing them to the forefront in an artistic format. In the future, grounded on field research, my study will delve into marine ecology via case studies examining coastal ecosystem phenomena. The project will focus on material exploration and the development of dyeing techniques for bioplastics, enhancing the recyclability of future jewelry and advancing sustainability within the jewelry sector. Concurrently, it seeks to mitigate marine ecosystem pollution through sustainable methods, striving to create economic and societal value—for instance, designing and selling biodegradable materials and accessories. The intended audience and clientele include anyone with a varied ecological mindset or a desire to improve the ecosystem, with environmentalists leading the charge. In this context, I consider myself a design practitioner endowed with a professional perspective and a commitment to social responsibility in today's world.
Developing the project focus
This project will be an extension of my previous project “Coral bleaching”, where I studied coral bleaching, a problem caused by marine pollution and its prevention through using environmentally friendly material. I got inspiration from the issue of coral decay to explore the symbiotic relationship between human and coral. In developing this area of enquiry, I hope to experiment deeper on varieties of eco-friendly materials, including PLA plastic and bioplastic, explaining the causes of ocean bleaching and the connetion between human activities and corals, raising public awareness of protect the marine environment.
My initial research started on December 2020. I participated in the UNFPA "One Belt, One Road" Youth Leadership Camp, where I spoke to young people from different countries about sustainability in the fashion industry and elaborated on the importance of protect coral ecosystems by using sustainable and eco-friendly materials in fashion industry. In February 2021, I was selected as a UN youth representative to participate in the Regional Dialogue on Youth Empowerment for Climate Action in Bangkok, Thailand, which discussed the future of sustainability in climate action. These experiences help me to integrate some reflective understandings of sustainable development into my design practices.
Working process
What attracts me is that the critical reflection on issues cannot be separated from the observation of the natural environment and individuals. As an alternative to traditional plastics, biodegradable plastics are gradually being used in textiles, packaging, and agricultural materials due to their excellent material processing attribute, safety, and non-toxicity. However, compared to traditional plastics, current research on the application areas, product performance, and degradation of biodegradable plastics still falls behind.
My research will explore ways to combine the idea of biodegradable plastics with dyeing methods and offer more possibilities for bioplastics’ colour in jewelleries. To this end, I will conduct the following enquiry and research during my postgraduate study.
Unit 1 Exploring the Landscapes
| London Context
| In future projects, literature and artwork research on the production of bioplastic materials and dyeing methods will be conducted to extract the design principles and performance characteristics of this type of work. In the jewellery market, environmental-friendly concepts and experiences will be used as a basis and the characteristics of sustainable design will be further analysed.
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Design Practice
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Unit 2 Dreaming Big
| Speculative Futures | A more in-depth exploration of dyeing methods for bioplastics. A variety of different dyes were selected for experimentation, such as dyes for tie-dyeing, Chinese painting pigments, edible colours, and natural dyes.
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Materials Matters | ||
Unit 3 Moving on Up!
| Self-Directed Design Project | By summarising current dyeing experiences, collecting different dyeing methods, identifying characteristics, and analysing data. Next, material experimentation and process practice. The unique approach of the material in jewellery dyeing is analysed through specific design experiments. Then, case studies on the current development of bioplastics are conducted to analyse the application of colour, pattern, and shape in jewellery, combining the experimental results to provide ideas for design practice. Finally, a range of more sustainable design approaches is implemented in the project.
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Reflective Conclusion
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Reflection
In terms of material experiments, there are few literatures related to experimental innovative bioplastics, and the production process for this type of material in jewellery is less available due to underdeveloped technology and complex processes. In addition, dyeing experiments are also limited by the technical level and the equipment used. There are many potential problems due to uncontrollable factors, such as room temperature, air humidity, flow rate, sunlight duration, water absorption of the container, etc. Therefore, there is plenty of room for research on the dyeing of this material. As a result of these experiments, I have been able to develop a basic understanding of bioplastic dyeing and its use in jewellery.
One of the most pressing challenges facing the 21st century is the need to create sustainable and ethical products. Nowadays, sustainable products are becoming more and more important in the retail market, but the fast fashion brands that have caused huge pollution still need to be developed. With this goal in mind, I will continue to explore new approaches to expand my vision of the language of jewellery through critical reflection of the MA Design(CFJ), continuing to implement the concept of sustainability, combining traditional materials and non-traditional techniques into the design practice areas.
Evaluation of resources
（1）Italian design studio Krill Design has produced a 100% natural and compostable 3D printed lamp called Ohmie, a new eco-friendly organic material made from a combination of orange peel and biopolymeric material.
（2）The Philippine Design Centre has produced Pinyapel, a special paper made from discarded pineapple leaves, printed with organic and environmentally friendly soy ink, which can be planted in the soil after use to produce new plants.
（3）The research website Materiom focuses on biodegradable pleastics. The materials used include carbohydrates, proteins, resins, natural compounds, etc. The process can be divided into 3D printing, fermentation, drying, laser cutting, inversion, etc. Ingredients and specific information on these materials can be found at www. materiom.org.
（4）Environmentalists in Indonesia have created a museum out of plastic waste. It is made up of more than 10,000 plastic scraps from rivers and beaches, including plastic bags, bottles, packaging bags and straws. Located in Kamsik regency (Gresik), north of Surabaya, East Java.
（5）In Courtney Mathieson's (2018) work, a bright and vibrant palette is used, fading to white at the edges of the installation, implying the issue of coral bleaching.
（6）"Protecting the Sea: Sustainable Practices in Shenzhen" was held at the Shenzhen Nanhai Yiku E-space and Spiritual Manifesto Bookstore. The exhibition collected exhibits on marine sustainability from China as well as abroad, presenting our ideas and actions on marine pollution and sustainable practices in four sections: awareness, marine litter, onshore plastic litter and marine litter recycling, thus raising people's awareness on protection of the ocean.
（7）Over Flow, marine plastic installation. Paris-based artist Tadashi Kawamata has created a giant oceanic plastic installation in the Oval Gallery of the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology in Lisbon.
（8）Life (2021) by Olafur Eliasson exhibition is open 24 hours a day, with no doors or windows to the outside world. The landscape surrounding the building connects to the interior, covering the gallery space with artificial green ponds with a variety of aquatic plants inside.
（9）A-C-Tion 2022 Beautiful China Institute was held at the China International Design Museum (Hangzhou) of the China Academy of Art. From waste plastic scraps to low-carbon building materials. These materials continues to refine its recycled technology process to create waterproof, corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant and anti-yellow building materials, achieving carbon neutral.
（10）London-based designer James shaw re-imagines our relationship with materials by transforming waste into desirable objects. He explains, "In an age where waste is everywhere, I think it is important to find ways to use it and make good use of it, and I hope my work encourages people to think about materials in a different way."
（11）Plastic: Remaking Our World, currently on display at the V&A Dundee, is a thought-provoking, artistic expression of plastic, a controversial material in recent years, and its history, present and future.
（12）GET ONEBOARD: Reduce. Reuse. Rethink was held at the Design Museum in London and the exhibition showcased a project by London design firm PriestmanGoode, which aimed to raise awareness of the fact that air travel generates a lot of waste.
（13）Jin Shan Yi Ku has a large amount of references and a printout of the MoMA's references on plastics from the 1990s.
（14）Tomás Saraceno focuses on the alternative living style that proposes sustainable environmental treatment, focusing on the recycling of energy resources.
Bibliography
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Luengo, J. M., Garcıa, B., Sandoval, A., Naharro, G., & Olivera, E. R. (2003). Bioplastics from microorganisms. Current opinion in microbiology, 6(3), 251-260.
NOAA. 2021. What is coral bleaching? National Ocean Service website.[Online].
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Tacey Rosolowski. 2007. Sculpture to Wear : the Jewelry of Marjorie Schick.
Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Print.
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