Author: Yu Yuanyuan
Recently, the first phase of the fifteenth conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Kunming, Yunnan. Respecting nature, conforming to nature, protecting nature, and building a home for the earth where man and nature coexist in harmony are becoming the consensus of all mankind. "Learning from Nature" and "Using the Most Eco-Efficient Wisdom of Life", the design community has carried out bold exploration and practice. Taking the field of materials as a window, we are pleasantly surprised to see that in addition to manufacturing more efficient, lightweight and beautiful products, designers create "new natural objects" that are adaptive, self-regulating and self-empowering through cross-field connection and integration. The exploration of art ahead stimulates a wider range of interest and creativity among researchers and practitioners, giving us reason to look forward to a more sustainable future.
Located in the center of Warsaw, Poland, the "AirBubble" playground, the world's first integrated microalgae air purification biotechnology, is surrounded by 52 large bioreactors, borosilicate glass bottles filled with green chlorella cultures that filter polluted air. London's EcoLogic Studio, which designs the main body of the installation as a space for children to play, is also a unique urban laboratory – applying biotechnology to tackle air pollution and reduce the impact on children's health.
Dutch designer Lilian van Daal imitated the structure of plant cells to create a unique chair through 3D printing, without using upholstery or padding, by changing the density of the structure, to ensure the elasticity and comfort of the chair, making it ultra-lightweight and easy to use.
Solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, bacteria, cellulose, electromagnetic waves... Under the concept of eco-friendliness, new ideas, materials and technologies are applied to a wide variety of designs. The exhibition "Everything Lives: Materials and Design in the Post-Oil Era", co-hosted by the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Design Museum in London, shows the evolution and evolution of materials, and the creativity and diversity of various designs are eye-opening.
"In fact, the design community's focus on ecological issues and sustainable development has become a trend as early as the 1960s, and the methods and concepts of green design, eco-design, and sustainable design have matured since then. A large number of solutions, such as recyclable, reusable, material-saving, degradable, high-quality, easy to disassemble, etc., are based on our understanding of 'man-made objects' and the study of 'materials'. Song Xiewei, dean of the School of Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, said.
The history of human design is actually a history of material renewal. Plywood is stronger and lighter than solid wood, during World War II, it was used to make aircraft, and then used to design comfortable, cheap, suitable for the human body chair; copper, aluminum and other metals large-scale refining and application, to solve many problems in the field of industrial, transportation design and other fields; the use of nanomaterials, 3D printing and other technologies makes the design of high-tech attributes easier...
Whether it's earth, stone, metal, and common bamboo, pine needles, or algae flora that are easily overlooked, these "insignificant" materials make up what we need every day and form the basis of design. In today's increasing pressure on the environment from fossil fuels, designers will turn their eyes to tradition and also look to the future, seeking to update the understanding of materials and create a design path that is friendlier to the environment and humans under the blessing of new technologies.
"The traditional Chinese concept emphasizes the tao, the law of nature, and the unity of nature and man, which has something in common with the concept of sustainable design." Wang Naiyi, a teacher at the School of Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, said. For example, Xiangyun yarn in Guangdong is a silk fabric dyed with pure plant dye potato, which reminds us that the materials and processes used in the past thousand years are actually very much in line with today's modern concepts, solving new problems is not necessarily using new materials, and the innovative transformation of traditional resources is an important method and path.
Biomaterials, such as the popular mycelium material in recent years, are favored by designers. Mycelium is an integrator similar to vascular hyphae produced by fungal substances, with super adhesion and degradable properties, which can be used in packaging, clothing, building materials and other fields.
Material design also means continuous breakthroughs and innovations, a "black technology" of the Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology Materials and Process Technology - "solidified blue smoke" nano aerogel, is an important breakthrough in the construction of the Mars probe "Tianwen-1", which represents the dream of human beings for space exploration, and also represents the future strength of China in material research and development.
Ji Yujie, director of the design department of the CAFA Art Museum, is one of the curators of the "Everything Lives" exhibition, and she believes that in today's world where materials are richer and commercial forces are more powerful, the attitude and position of designers are more important, whether to stimulate consumption with "planned abolition" or to carry out sustainable low-carbon design, which tests the designer's sense of responsibility and ethics.
Materials are the material basis for the survival and development of human society, and are closely related to our lives, and the power and value of materials are often underestimated or even ignored because of their universality and foundation. Through the artist's work, we can see the important role that design plays in solving pressing environmental and social problems, as well as the designers' mission and sense of responsibility for sustainable development. In the evolution of materials and the innovation of design, we imagine the future, create the future, and protect the future.
The rapid development of modern manufacturing has benefited our economy and society a lot, we are surrounded by more and more seemingly rich materials, and the growing demand has changed our lives, while also bringing various adverse consequences to the natural environment. The full use and rational circulation of materials has become an inevitable demand for the sustainable development of human society. Under the guidance of the concept of "recyclable", designers are thinking and explaining the reciprocation of the material life cycle. The keyword "recyclable" involves different processes of material cycling, starting with the transformation and utilization of recyclable virgin materials and the invention of degradable materials.
The concept of "hyper-localization" in the field of material design refers to going deep into the original ecological native area under the premise of maintaining ecological balance, and designing and producing according to local local characteristics or products to enhance local income and protect biological diversity. Mexican designer Fernando La Posé, for example, has worked with indigenous communities to make tiles and inlays using local corn husks, a material ranging from dark purple to cream that can be widely used in home design. The production of new materials provides an additional source of income for native Mexican farmers, encouraging them to protect and grow indigenous maize varieties rather than opt for more lucrative genetically modified varieties. The cases shown by the keyword "ultra-localization" have certain reference significance for the current design in China to go to the countryside, and also provide a new path for the sustainable development of materials.
Pine trees are the world's leading source of wood, and pine needles, which make up 20 to 30 percent of their mass, are often discarded. Designer Tamara Ojola is trying to investigate the potential uses of these billions of unused pine needles, transforming them into textiles, composites and paper through techniques such as crushing, soaking and pressing, and extracting essential oils and dyes in the process.
China's designers also have a wealth of design creations in terms of ultra-localization. For example, designer Zhang Lei borrowed the traditional process of Yuhang paper umbrella, used natural glue to paste the leather rice paper layer by layer on the umbrella bone, and made the "Drifting" paper chair, using the delicate texture and toughness of the rice paper, so that it not only has a warm touch, but also provides very good support. Rice paper, which originally gave people a sense of weakness, can also have the same firmness as solid wood under a specific process.
Designer Marlene Whisperer comes from a family of beekeepers, so bees are her inspiration for designing new forms of craftsmanship. Propolis is a glass-like material made by bees, and a hive produces less than 100 grams of propolis per year, making this material extremely precious. By making propolis into fun and aromatic crafts such as vases, Whissud hopes to promote more care and respect for insects such as bees.
The treatment of toxic substances in materials is also an indispensable part of the recyclable process. Bauxite residues, also known as "red mud", are dangerous by-products of the aluminium industry, and each extraction of aluminum produces more than two parts of residue. ThusThat works with aluminum factories and research labs to find that this scrap can be processed into ceramic bodies and glazes. The Red Clay set of tableware is one of the results of their research, showing how toxic waste can be transformed into something safe and beautiful.
While reshaping and reusing traditional materials, designers and scientists are also actively using cutting-edge technologies to develop more sustainable materials, and strive to show the future of materials through emerging scientific materials and biomaterials. In this process, interdisciplinary practice has become a consensus, and design has been closely integrated with biology, computer science and other disciplines, which has also given birth to a variety of categories of breathtaking cutting-edge design works.
Aerogel is a lightweight material with a nanoporous structure that has been hailed by the scientific community as "the amazing material that changed the world". In the "Tianwen-1" Mars probe, the use of China's independent research and development of a number of "black technology", among them, the rover used in the thermal control material is a new type of thermal insulation material - nano aerogel, it can cope with the extreme heat and extreme cold two harsh environments, and its ultra-light characteristics greatly reduce the burden of the rover, so that it can run faster and farther.
Sequins may seem small and harmless, but they pose a serious threat to marine life. They are made from petroleum-based materials that, when discarded, often flow into the ocean and are mistaken for food by marine animals. Bio-iridescent sequins, on the other hand, are a biodegradable alternative made from cellulose. As a naturally rich material, cellulose is lightweight, strong and compostable, and its glittering color is naturally formed.
SuperTree is a prototype of an algae farm designed by ecoLogic Studio in London. Trees are part of the current urban circle infrastructure, and "supertrees" repurpose their original form, transforming them into high-resolution, highly productive photobioreactors capable of linking human metabolism to microalgae ecological cycles. Energy streams, material flows, and information flows intersect throughout the system, forming a self-sufficient micro-ecosystem of "supertrees" that form a self-sufficient micro-ecosystem.
Carol Kleit has been exploring the potential of fungal mycelium as a surface treatment of biodegradable materials for many years and for finding more sustainable alternatives for the heavily polluted textile industry. Mycelium consists of a dense web of fine twigs that naturally exist underground. We can harness its ability to digest cellulose and transform it into a natural composite material to guide the growth of mycelium on the fabric by changing environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity.
By studying and referencing the creation patterns of nature, biological principles can be incorporated into the design process. In the field of biodesign, designers are no longer satisfied with shaping the shape of materials, but have begun to create and develop new biomaterials. The Biolace project aims to explore the potential of synthetic biology in future manufacturing, where designers biogemolate plants so that they can not only blossom and bear fruit, but also grow bio-lace at the roots.
(Zhang Yumei, Xu Xinyi)
Guangming Daily (11th edition, October 24, 2021)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily