Patch by Claire
Patch
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Creator
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Claire
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Story
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As an experienced Architect, Associate lecturer and designer-maker of concept jewellery and handheld objects, I have been creating uniquely expressive statement pieces exploring materiality for a number of years, however it is only in the last five years that I have begun to understand that a major driving force for my creativity is my thirst for new knowledge. Recognising this has led me to explore the potential for design as a research tool, undertaking a practice as research PhD at the University of the West of England.
This patchwork represents my PhD research project “Ply Could?” which explores the potential of thin plywood, as a sustainable material for making. Combining tradition craft practices with digital making techniques, I am pushing the material to its limits and exploring its material affordance. By means of craft based creative enquiry and research by design, can the exploration of novel material affordances uncover new opportunities for the use of thin plywood?
Plywood is a natural material, strong, lightweight, and extremely versatile. Its method of construction, layering alternate veneers perpendicularly, makes it immensely strong for its size, and reduces the likelihood of shrinkage and warping when exposed to variations in environmental conditions. Despite the recent increase in use of plywood as a sustainable alternative in construction, it is currently little-used on a small scale. The embodied carbon value for plywood is a fraction of that for plastics and metals. Plywood can be softened and moulded into complex three-dimensional forms, providing increased strength, much like in an eggshell, resulting in good economy of material. By working on a small scale (using 0.8mm and 1.5mm thick sheet) it is possible to push the material to its limits, activating it using moisture, heat and pressure and utilising 3D printed formers to set it into complex shapes.
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Rights Holder
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Claire
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Rights
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All rights reserved.
