Material Alchemy #3: The Noble Potato
Potatoes are made up of starches and fiber components that are able to bond with each other and harden which makes them a versatile starting point for different materials.
Material Alchemy #2: The Pleasures and Promises of Industrial Hemp
Loved dearly by many, misunderstood and feared by some - hemp carries a lot of cultural associations, most of which have little to do with its potential as a sustainable material in product design and architecture.
Hailed by enthusiasts as a potential ally in changing the way we make objects and buildings, many designers and scientists are researching new uses of hemp with interesting results.
Lorraine Legrand on clay, bread and making materials sing
The French ceramic artist Lorraine Legrand has spent the last years venturing deeply into the formal and artistic possibilities of clay. In her BREAD project, she takes on the adjacent art of making bread with the eye and hand of a ceramicist.
For Lorraine bread-making becomes a reflection about the basic sanity inherent in our most ancient crafts, and a search for an antidote to the neurotic relationship most of us have to modern food industry.
Material Alchemy #1: Eggshell ceramics & bio-plastics
Eggshell is one of the small wonders of nature and a biodegradable material with interesting properties. While used to some extent in agriculture, a lot of eggshell is scrapped as waste. The last couple of years several designers and researchers have looked into how eggshell can be used as component in materials for use in consumer products and objects and surfaces for use in interior design.
An emerging toolkit for biodiversity in architecture
Elementa is presently working with biologists and designers to develop a range of modular products that can help to open architecture and outdoor areas for co-habitation with other species.
Joost & Marten of Plasticiet on plastic as the new gold
Plasticiet is a Rotterdam based startup that has found a way to upcycle plastic waste into long living new materials for use in interior design. We have chatted with the founders of Plasticiet about recycling and the role of small companies in closing the loops.
Tora Fougner Økland of Bybi on honey and the life and death of bees
Human life is intimately bound together with insect life, not only by means of honey bees - but with pollinating insects of all sorts.
We have spoken to biologist, beekeper and microactivist Tora Fougner Økland about the work of Bybi Oslo, on friendship with bees - and the role of architecture and design in preserving life.
Building your own kayak with Nina and Nico of Yamana Boats
A new kayak building kit from Yamana Boats in Oslo beautifully embodies design ideals that are getting ever more relevant:
Local production, use of natural materials, intuitive design and infinite repairability.
As they launch their first Kickstarter, we had the chance to meet with designers Nina Havermans and Nico Ibaceta about boat building, makerspaces and finding time to spend time outdoors.
Exploring biobased materials with Ralston Bau & Bioregion Vestland
Birgitta Ralston & Alexandre Bau are behind the design practice Ralston Bau, working with material science, research and design with an activistic approach. With the ambitious Bioregion Vestland project, initiated by Design Region Bergen, they are exploring how experimental material design can help revitalize local industry on the Norwegian west coast.
We have spoken with Birgitta on the project and the way forward for new plastics.
Kurzgesagt: As the world transforms into a plastic copy of itself...
Founded by information designer Philipp Dettmer, Kurzgesagt is a Munich Based design studio that runs its own enormously successful youtube channel.
Their bite-size animations on the human condition are snappy, entertaining and leaves you feel a bit more informed every time!
Help finding the way UT & win a Klorofyll Planter by Anderssen & Voll
At Elementa we are working with next years' plans for new products - which will include several new projects in our UT series
By answering the following 3 questions you can enter into our mini lottery to win a beautiful Klorofyll Espalier with planters by Anderssen & Voll.
Designing for non-humans: Koloni Insect Hotel by Edvin Klasson
For this year’s Milan exhibition we went together with designer Edvin Klasson to propose our first project intended for a non-human lifeform. The resulting concept is Koloni - an architectural hatching shelter for pollinating insects.