Material library
Project Memory of the Sea intends to ask how the landscape can be represented through its materials and how they build the identity of the place. It focuses on developing a working method to be applied to any chosen context using Zeeland as a case study.
Creating new materials serves as a medium to understand the environment and it’s geo-situation. It is situating the making in the context of resources and its influence on our understanding of the the place, in this case the seascape. By collecting and processing materials I have started to build a library of the identity of Zeeland and an understanding of a landscape from the perspective of design research.
The following samples are created from the materials which can be found in Zeeland, such as: oyster shells, shells, seaweed, sand, ropes, fisherman's nets, bottles, cans, plastic trash, crabs shells, drift wood, bricks, rust, etc.
Basic materials
– new samples made from mixtures of the ground shells, seaweed, sand, driftwood, salt, bricks, etc. The base binder is neutral or natural glue. The samples vary in colour from dark shades to very light ones. The finishes are from homogeneous to patterned, depending on the re cipe. Those samples are directly and familiarly capturing materials, and transforming them into usable components, whose final properties can still be altered, depending on the desired outcomes.
Oyster-concrete
– set of concrete samples, where the main binding ingredient is quick lime derived from oysters shells. The additional gravel and pigments from the areas explore various terrazzo looks, which represent different locations.
Ceramic samples
– additional ingredients were added to the body of porcelain to create new composites. This transforms the collected resources in a chemical way extracting colours and textures.
Sea-glazes
– a vast library of ceramic glazes made only from the materials collected at the seaside. It also gives a wide range of colours and shades, representing the natural and artificial findings on the beaches.
Other biomaterials
– samples created with natural binders as gelatine or agar-agar and with the use of techniques from modern cuisine. Ingredients from the seaside are mixed with organic glues like gelatine and additional additives to get distinctive properties as flexible surfaces. This set of samples has many directions for future exploration and development of the materials.
Tryouts in bigger scale
