PAPER CIRCULARITY
TYPOLOGY
PROFESSIONAL
CMF
TECHTONICS
WORK
PROFESSIONAL
Location
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, USA
Year
2025
CREDITS
RISD Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, Director of the Nature Lab Jennifer Bissonnette, Prof. Haley MacKeil.
All photo credits to RISD Nature Lab
Info
Scraps become stories in the Loop Lab—a pilot project that turns RISD’s own waste streams into raw materials for creative practice.(grant from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation). I conducted hands-on material research using post-consumer paper waste collected across campus; sorted, processed, and repurposed fibers based on paper type and composition.Developed an in-depth understanding of paper behavior, including fiber breakdown, pulping techniques, and varying water absorption properties across paper categories.Experimented with bio-based binders such as corn starch and methyl cellulose to engineer alternative material systems. Prototyped and tested multiple paper-derived materials, including: Paper soft foamPaper hard foamPaper leatherLiquid paper
DESCRIPTION
The group took the discarded materials and transforms them into new paper, slurries, bricks, and clays ready for experimentation in both analogue and digital fabrication, including laser cutting and 3D printing. The materials will be available for students across disciplines at no charge to experiment with in their own work and offered through Second Life Exchange.
I also documented material recipes and processes for publication on the RISD Nature Lab platform, enabling accessibility and reproducibility for future student research and projects.
EXTRAS
Below are more experiments I was tried with the materials. An interesting experiment was creating biofoam for footwear sole. I added lavender to some of the recipes for pleasant smell.
