Category: Exposure Year 3

On the HCA, Heritage crafts association paper making (commercial) is on the red list for Critically Endangered Crafts. It is sad to know something that I have a passion for is listed as critically endangered on the 2019 survey. I guess this encourages me to want to promote this craft further and create awareness for this traditional form of making paper. There is currently two mills making commercial paper in the UK, Two Rivers and Frogmore Paper Mill.

After exploring many ways of applying and creating different textures. As well as my exploration into plants and organic matter such as moss and lichen, specifically in the New Forest that grow by attaching themselves to other natural form. This formed the bases for my inspiration of creating texture that was on the external surface of the organic spherical forms (inspired by spherical forms within nature). that ‘grew’ much like lichen.

I wanted the forms to be unique and vary in the amount of ‘growth’, on the different sized forms.

I did this by tearing my hand made sheets of all lengths and thicknesses. These were thin, much like the thickness for tissue paper, perhaps a little thicker, with a opaque quality. These were created using abaca fibre, recycled waste paper and natural pigments and natural dyes from the dried flowers bleeding. During the papermaking process I was conscious of using natural colours that I had seen present in nature, in the attempt to avoid making the forms look to gearish and artificial, rather more natural and remonisant of nature.

I applied the textural surface with cellulose glue to keep the forms 100% biodegradable and recyclable. I applied these using a paint brush and arranging the paper strips as I went. the cellulose glue allowed for the paper to become more flexible, much better than my previous experimentation with pva.

My inspiration for this paper making using abaca fibre came from Jocelyn Chateauvert and three dimensional form using handmade recycled paper came from Rebecca Hutchinson, who works with the inspiration form natural forms.

After much experimentation, I felt the best way for me to move Forward with this concept of organic spherical forms was to use biodegradable balloons to support the structures I was creating. As I have been studying from home this seemed like a logical way Forward. If I were at uni I would have probably explored making two part plaster moulds. Although I don’t know how effective this would when I apply the texture to the surface as the forms would collapse under saturation. Therefore the balloons serve as the most practical option to get a perfect sphere.

Whilst making these shells I wanted to retain a deckled and fragmented edge that you get when you make paper by hand, so by tearing the paper rather than cutting when I was paper macheing the form builds up in an organic way. As I wanted to avoid making something that was too perfect and man made looking.

The spherical forms were inspired by my research into Jamie North and the fragmented edges were inspired by Lisa Ommanneys forms with a fragmented edge. I was also inspired by the work of Jane Ponsford, where she works with the environment using collected material and working from site inspiration.

The paper I have been using to create these forms is recycled waste paper combined with abaca fibre paper. this, I had made with dried licken picked up from the New Forest floor and dried.

I have been making a collection of 5 spherical forms all ranging in sizes, I wanted these to have impact in an open space so I decided to make the up to the size of about 90 cm.

I have been using a home made cellulose glue from corn flour to paper mache making my forms capable of being recycled and biodegradable. This also gives the sculptures a much softer organic feel rather than hard and crunchy feel when I previously explored pva glue. This also allows the paper to be applied a lot more easily as the paper becomes saturated by the waterty cellulose.

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This is the paper made for the final set of of forms that I am constructing using biodegradable large balloons, the paper I made using abaca fibre and recycled and collected used cartridge and watercolour paper and biodegradable cornstarch glue.

I enjoy the journey the paper has made from waste to form, repurposing a material that would otherwise be rendered useless.

For this paper I combined corn starch (for strength to bind the fibres together), Abaca fibre for strength and fibrous opaquity and recycled paper for roughness as the abaca fibre makes the paper soft. Adding natural pigments and found and collected dried flowers and lichen taken from the New Forest floor. The natural pigments from the flowers bleed into the Abaca paper during its drying process and the flowers release colours. I have chosen pigments that compliment the natural world, taking influence from photographs taken in the Forest of fauna and flora and landscape.

I have found an enjoyment in the rhythmic and lengthy process of my discipline and material choice. Paper allows for a repetition and rhythmic motion that imbeds itself within the paper, imprinting my mark on the material itself. Then creating forms from the paper the repetition of taring and attaching and reconstructing the paper into a three dimensional form. this has become an important process for my way of working.

When I was considering the importance of creating something that is viable to be returned back to nature through being biodegradable. I didn’t want the forms to have a permanence. I enjoy the fact they can be biodegraded and recycled into something new. Although, I was interested in how my forms could leave a trace that was beneficial to nature. Giving something back. I combined wild woodland seeds into the paper making process, with the thinking that when the forms are deteriorate they release the seeds and they germinate forming new life from where the old sculpture stood.

Pulp Station are a India based company who won the green product price 2021. They work with ecological, social and economics at the heart of their design, working with cultural and traditional methods creating employment for people in India. Pulp Station creates 100% biodegradable furniture and textiles using waste paper. Promoting responsible, biodegradable and sustainable designing and material use at a macro level, as well as awareness through workshops. Developing an alternative mainstream material into design, promoting and creating awareness for traditional paper mache craft.

Pulp Station works by using a circular model for their design within paper fabrics and furniture. the process allows for the products to be biodegradable and repurposed and recycled into a new material. This allows for a positive circular model that makes use of a material that would ordinarily have little purpose once disposed. This process also limits the amount of new production and environmental damage making this circular model an extremely effective and sustainable alternative.

In reflection looking into Pulp Station my work has many of the same and similar values. My sculpture forms are also produced using 100% recycled and sustainable materials, making them biodegradable and non harmful. which can also be recycled, biodegraded and reproduced. My paper and forms could also be adhered to a circular model of my own demonstrating the use and production that allows for the sculptures to be created within a circular model. i think this will be an advantageous way to demonstrate the key values that sit within my design and its sustainable, biodegradable and recyclable functions.

Cradle to cradle is an design concept that ultimately aims to reduce waste and produce goods that are sustainable to develop. As well as produce goods that use and work with nature to regenerate. By creatings goods and products that benefit nature and use sustainable materials and processes to do so. this is to the opposing models of making products from recycled goods. The cradle to cradle model uses regenerative systems seen within nature as a basis for design. Making positive human design that is non toxic. Taking advantage of biological processes and natural resources that in turn replenish the earth and that can be fully recycled. Using the concept of a waste eco cycle that takes one organisms waste and regenerates it into something that can once again replenish the earth. these are products that use the biological metabolism and are designed to safely return back to the environment without causing harm, that can have nutritional or positive impact on the environment, for example biodegradable packaging. creating design in harmony with other living things.

I summarised the model using, Cradle-to-Cradle, https://mcdonough.com/writings/cradle-cradle-alternative/

I feel my work sits closely to the concept of cradle to cradle. The use of a recycled waste material that often end up in landfill (as paper is not always recycled), which I combine with natural cellulose and sustainable sourced andgrown materials in order to produce a sculptural form that can be biodegradable. I also create a positive impact and trace on my environment during the forms biodegradation as the sculptural forms contain wild woodland seeds, so in turn I am positively impacting the environment that I am taking the materials I use from.

Jamie Norths work interests me textural man made surfaces contrasted heavily with the organic material and shapes of the sculptural forms. Norths work sits between the two, manmade and natural. Taking inspiration from the natural world and natural form, but contrasting it with the urban world. Using industrial materials and working with multiples.

The fragmented spherical forms interest me as my spherical paper forms have a fragmented edge due to the taring and deckled edge of the paper. Noths work has helped inform as well as justify the spherical form within my work. The spherical for is seen within nature constantly and is quite representational of the natural world.

• fragmented edges
• industrial materials
• spherical form, multiples
• contrasting the natural world with man-made.