Traditional Japanese shoji are sliding doors made of washi paper supported by wood crosspieces. The paper offers privacy and protection from wind but requires the lattice structure for support. For the Takeo Corporation’s Haptic exhibition, Japanese architect and materials researcher Hiroshi Ota set out to rethink the traditional Japanese architectural feature. After researching the Japanese papermaking technique called kami-suki (paper-scooping), Ota hypothesized that it would be possible to make self-supporting paper screens.
Ota formed a stainless-steel screen with a dimensional basket weave–type pattern using a rolling press. He molded two sheets of paper with this screen and attached them together after allowing them to dry. Once paired in this way, the paper sheets formed a truss capable of supporting its own weight and functioning as furniture. Although Japanese washi is typically appreciated for its lightness and delicacy, here Ota has used the paper to create stability and strength in a new sliding door. [Contact:
Hiroshi Ota, Tokyo, Japan.]
Labels: 12, door, paper, screen, ultraperforming
Printed Food is an edible material that provides a way to convey the nutritious elements of food to consumers in an extremely compact, visually appealing, and information-rich manner. Developed by Chef Homaro Cantu, Printed Food has a number of possible applications, including the delivery of nutritional supplements and ingestible pharmaceuticals, as well as for promotional and advertising uses.
he manufacturing process of Printed Food allows for the incorporation of text and images, such as the food ingredients, directly on digestible food. Instructions for usage, references, and storage information may also be included. Chef Cantu even “serves” a dinner menu as Printed Food. Printed Food’s stability, compact nature, and innovative communication capability make it an ideal food source for people in extreme environments, such as outer space or countries with severely limited resources. [Contact:
Homaro Cantu Designs, Chicago, IL.]
Labels: 11, food, interfacial, paper
The value of paper is typically measured by the value of the information it carries; once the information is deemed useless, the paper is discarded. Robert Buss of PUSH> reuses paper in the service of a longer-lasting function: furniture.
Disposable Office takes the most common material of workplace communication and transforms it into the workplace itself. Disposable Office furniture is comprised of recycled paper, with the addition of glass and felt. Individual items are named after various paper functions, such as the Security Documents Chair, Menu Table, or Bank Statements Shelving. According to Buss, Disposable Office is "furniture made from information for the information age." [Contact:
PUSH>, Osnabrück, Germany.]
Labels: 12, furniture, paper, recycled, repurposed
Paper softseating is made entirely from kraft paper, utilizing a flexible honeycomb structure to fan open into stools, benches and loungers. Each of the sizes and types of softseating can compress like a big book for storage. The seating is available in natural, unbleached brown kraft paper and kraft paper that has been dyed a deep black with bamboo charcoal ink to emphasize the geometric pattern of light and shadow. Paper softseating can be used creatively and interchangeably as seating or low tables, and the elements can be stacked playfully as building blocks.
Paper softseating is not intended to be disposable or thought of for short-term use. According to the manufacturer, the paper actually improves with age, as the surface texture of the paper edges softens with use over time into a pleasing natural patina. When one sits on the paper stools or loungers, the edges of the paper will gently soften and crush, creating irregular facets that catch the light and form a unique organic pattern within the crisp honeycomb geometry of the structure. As the surface of the paper softens, the stools and loungers maintain their structural integrity, because the honeycomb geometry lends the paper strength and enables this economy of material resources. Paper softseating is flame-retardant treated and 100% recyclable. [via Molo; suggested by Tom McCollum, Oakland, CA.]
A video demonstration of paper softseating may be viewed here:
http://www.glumbert.com/media/foldingchairLabels: 12, furniture, multidimensional, paper
Traditional Japanese shoji are sliding doors made of washi paper supported by wood crosspieces. The paper offers privacy and protection from wind but requires the lattice structure for support. For the Takeo Corporation’s Haptic exhibition, Japanese architect and materials researcher Hiroshi Ota set out to rethink the traditional Japanese architectural feature. After researching the Japanese papermaking technique called kami-suki (paper-scooping), Ota hypothesized that it would be possible to make self-supporting paper screens.
