Materiality & Making Field Project
Our class took on a five-week-long design sprint with the goal of creating an exhibit that was showcased at OSU’s design expo. As a class, we came up with the overall theme 'Corvallis 2075: Sustainable Connected Communities' to highlight human connection with the aspect of sustainability in mind. Within this theme, we were split up into smaller groups, and my group created a hanging garden made of recycled materials to highlight reusability.
Our installation, 'Unity Grove,' was made up of upcycled materials to create a vibrant floral arrangement. Individuals from our group found inspiration from everyday materials and scraps such as cans, bottles, newspapers, and embroidery. For mine, it was scrap fabrics and clothing. The vision was to inspire others to find new uses for everyday materials in hopes of positively contributing to the environment.
UNITY GROVE
WHY FLOWERS? WHY FABRIC?
Flowers blooming symbolize the revitalization of the discarded clothes, transforming them into something new. When it comes to using fabric, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse emissions. Additionally, 75% of textile waste goes into landfills, while the industry ranks second in water consumption globally. Using fabric for my flower is a symbol of finding new uses for such materials, in hopes of reducing textiles in landfills, whether by repurposing clothes or creating entirely new items from them.
THE PROCESS
STEP 1: Cut up discarded clothes & scrap fabrics.
STEP 2: Trace 10 x 10 cm squares and cut them.
STEP 3: Fold squares into triangles 2 times.
STEP 4: Cut a half circle on one edge of the triangle.
STEP 5: unfold the triangles cut 1 petal for the first one, then cut 2 for the second then 3 for the third petal and 4 for the fourth triangle. This will create a different size layers.
STEP 6: Glue each layer from largest to the smallest
STEP 7: Repeat step 5 & 6, for different size flowers, cut 20 x 20 cm squares instead of 10 x 10.
STEP 8: Glue flowers into structure with the rest of everyone’s flowers.