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Workshops with Children



Research Team


Angela Henderson
Aaron Outhwaite
First & Second Year Elementary School Children


Research Description


The goal of these workshops was to foster a learning environment where knowledge exchange is extended to the natural world. Throughout this research project, children engaged in activities that were aimed at introducing the natural world as a source for the material production of designed objects that are part of our day-to-day lives. Beach-combing and foraging brought materials together that were being explored as ecologically sound alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. Children were introduced to the concept of bio-materials through their collections which, in-turn prompted discussion about the excessive amount of plastic that permeates everything we come into contact with. Identifying alternative sources for material production, such as the shoreline turned the focus of the conversation to what was immediately before us.




Material Lab Samples



Research Team


Angela Henderson
Aaron Outhwaite


Research Description


written submission for this section from Aaron












Projects


Material Library

Material Driven Design


Photo: Ina Marwitz


Material Exploration



Research Team


Angela Henderson
Marie-Soleil Provençal
21 NSCAD University MDES students


Research Description


During this project, all collaborators – children, design students, artists and scientists – explored the material through sight, smell, taste, sound and touch, using a range of techniques and tools. We sought to investigate the material – an amalgamate of algae and clay – without any objective for application, seeing where our curiosity and intuitive interactions with the material would take us. 










Agar bioplastic



OBJECTIVE

The objective of this experiment is to find a way to make sheets (or membranes) of bioplastic with agar. Agar is a compound found in red seaweed. It is organic and non toxic. Dried, it is available at the organic market. FOR RECIPES, visit the Materials Library


EXPERIMENTS A - CLAY & FIBER
Notes: agar doesn’t stick to synthetic material (fibers). It “merges” better with natural fibers such as cotton and linen. It can shrinks a lot, depending of the ration of glycerol, while drying. 

reinforced with cotton reinforced with cotton reinforced with cotton synthetic fabric + laser cut reinforced with short hair reinforced with hand paper one side reinforced with synthetic fabric synthetic fabric + laser cut reinforced with synthetic fabric regular amount of clay low amount of clay white clay sewing with melted edges suspended spirulina suspended limestone suspended metal dust suspended wood ashes sewing with thread sheet reinforced with synthetic fabric sheet transparency

EXPERIMENTS B - WIRE & ROPE

Notes: hot agar bioplastic is thick enough to form a thin membranes in small space (about 1 cm) while it dries. It keeps its flexibility. It sticks well on metal, wood, and natural fibers (cotton). It doesn’t take a lot to cover large surfaces.




EXPERIMENTS C - BIOPLASTIC AS BINDER

Multiple tests have been done in previous research (see https://materialslibrary.cargo.site/). A quick test was done to confirm that indeed, the bioplastic made from agar can be used as a binder to hold powdery materials together such as dry clay.




EXPERIMENTS D - BIOPLASTIC COATING

The objective of this experiment was to create a dripping coat over a rope stained with graphite. Recipe available here.


Interdisciplinary Practice




Research Description


This section will be written about by Lisa Bouraly











COLLABORATIVE DESIGN FOR UNSTRUCTURED PLAY


SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant



DESCRIPTION

This SSHRC-funded project brings together the following collaborators: Undergraduate and Graduate Design students at NSCAD University; Undergraduate and Graduate students in Chemical Engineering at Dalhousie University along with Early Childhood Educators, Pre-Primary and Grade Two students from Halifax Grammar School; Lake City Woodworkers, a Halifax-based social enterprise that support individuals with mental health challenges.

Recognizing the environmental harm of plastic, the potential opportunities in bioplastics and the creativity of children, the goal of this project is to use a collaborative design methodology to marry materials research, novel fabrication technologies, and design innovation to produce a toy prototype. The goal of this project is to design and fabricate children’s toys through a collaborative design process between NSCAD University Design Students and Early Childhood Educators at Halifax Grammar School.
RESEARCH TEAM

Angela Henderson, designer
(NSCAD University)

Aaron Outhwaite, engineer
(Dalhousie University)

Marie-Soleil Provençal, artist
(NSCAD University)


COLLABORATORS

Grade 2 Students from Halifax Grammar School Lake City Wood Workers