Reclaim
Creating a sustainable art and design practice
Project Info
Artists and designers create a lot of trash while developing and prototyping their ideas. This project explored a more sustainable approach to experimental art and design. Reclaim is a virtual gallery experience that exhibits an exploration of sustainable materials and design process. As an artist and designer, I am very concerned with my environmental footprint. This project explored ways to reduce the amount of waste created by experimental art and design. Through careful consideration of the full life cycle of my project, I was able to create a design process that amounted to zero waste. A virtual gallery was created using Unity to showcase my material research, Guardian Orbs, and Reclaim Planter.
Material Research
Toxic materials like MDF and foam blocks are commonly used in design prototyping. These materials cannot be recycled or composted, and end up in the landfill once the project is completed. To reduce waste during the design prototyping process, I developed a compostable sheet material that could be made in your own home. The ingredients included Distilled Water, White Vinegar, Corn Starch, and Vegetable Glycerin. The final material incorporated hemp fibers to improve tear resistance and stability.
Guardian Orbs
Many products are designed with multiple materials that are not easy or impossible to separate. This makes it difficult to properly recycle these items at the end of use. The Guardian Orbs Design process explored the use of modular components so different materials could be easily separated for recycling and composting. A 3D printed skeleton allowed for structural support and the use of mechanical fastening as opposed to adhesive bonding allowed for easier material separation at the end of use. This Skeleton was paired with the hemp bioplastic composite to create the Guardian Orbs.
Reclaim Planter
After completing Guardian Orbs, it was time to compost and recycle the materials to create something new. This project demonstrated that with careful consideration of material use and construction methods, zero waste can be achieved. To prove the hemp bioplastic composite was compostable, I created a worm compost bin. The worms were able to fully break down the material in only 2 weeks. To recycle my 3D printed prototypes and support material I broke down the parts and heated them to create a marbleized sheet material. The Sheet material and worm compost was then used to create the final Reclaim Planter for succulent propagation.
Reclaim Virtual Reality Gallery
A virtual reality gallery experience called Reclaim was created to showcase the entire design process. The exhibit included images, videos and 3D models, and used audio triggers to allow guests to learn more about each part of the process. The VR experience was created using Unity and was publicly available using InstaVR.
Reclaim VR Gallery Experience Recording
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This project was comprised of 3 major parts: Material Research, Guardian Orbs, and Reclaim Planter. To learn more about each element, select the image bellow.
Material Research
Guardian Orbs
