Kera-Plast: Exploring the Plasticization of Keratin-Based Fibers Through Compression Molded Human Hair in Relation to Textile Design Methods
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Kera-Plast: Exploring the plasticization of keratin-based fibers through compression molded human hair in relation to textile design methods Romy Franziska Kaiser Kera-Plast: Exploring the plasticization of keratin-based fibers through compression molded human hair in relation to textile design methods Author: Romy Franziska Kaiser S181825 Report Number: 2020.6.03 Master in Fine Arts Fashion and Textile, Specialization in Textile Design The Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, Sweden HT19-VT20 Designprojekt – examensarbete 30 hp KMAMT18h MODE/TEXT v.46 Supervisor: Hanna Landin Opponent: Sarah Taylor Examiner: Delia Dumitrescu August 2020 Figure 1 Category 3D Surface: Exploring the possibilities of a 3D patterned surface structure. Example of result. II Figure 2 Category Pattern: Exploring 2D patterns in relation to material, color and textile technique. Example of result. III Figure 3 Category Shapeability: Exploring the possible shaping qualities of Kera-Plast. Example of result. IV Figure 4 Category Light: Exploration into the influence of light on Kera-Plast. Example of result. V ABSTRACT The project Kera-Plast aims to re-loop humans and nature by questioning the current systems and ethics through materiality. Human hair, currently considered as waste, functions as the base for the material exploration fabricated through thermo-compression molding. The flexible, short and opaque keratin-fibers get glued together with heat, pressure and water, acting as a plasticizer during the compression molding process. The results are stiff and remind on plastic due to shine and translucency. Aesthetics and function of the resulting material are controlled and designed by traditional textile techniques as knitting, weaving and non- woven processes. The material samples display the potential of Kera-Plast in the categories of 3D surface structures, patterns, shapeability and the influence of light. The findings also provide information about the parameters for designing with keratin fibers through the thermo-compression process. It can be concluded that despite all ethical and cultural factors, Kera-Plast and its fabrication method has the potential to add a sustainably, functionally and aesthetically value to the design field and our future material consumption. KEYWORDS. Compression Molding, Plasticization, Keratin Fiber, Human Hair, Textile Thinking, Textile Activism, Mindset through Material VI Content VII.2 THE REHASH ............................................................................................. 31 VII.3 THE REMAKE ............................................................................................ 33 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... VI VII.3.A Dyeing Process .................................................................................. 34 I INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 2 VII.3.B Thermo-Compression Process ........................................................... 36 VII.3.C Non-Woven Process .......................................................................... 43 I.1 THE STARTING SCENARIO ................................................................................... 2 VII.3.D Weaving Process ............................................................................... 57 I.2 MOTIVE: HOW CAN HUMANS CONTRIBUTE TO THE FIELD OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES? . 4 VII.3.E Knitting Process ................................................................................ 67 II CONTEXTUALIZATION OF HUMAN HAIR ...................................................... 6 VII.3.F General Findings ............................................................................... 78 II.1 CULTURAL CONTEXTUALIZATION OF HAIR ............................................................. 6 VII.4 RESULT: THE REUSE ................................................................................... 87 II.2 OBJECTUAL CONTEXTUALIZATION OF HAIR ............................................................ 9 VII.4.A 3D Surface ......................................................................................... 88 II.3 CHEMICAL CONTEXTUALIZATION & QUALITIES OF HAIR ......................................... 12 VII.4.B Pattern .............................................................................................. 92 VII.4.C Shapeability ...................................................................................... 99 III DESIGNING WITH HUMAN HAIR ............................................................ 16 VII.4.D Light ................................................................................................ 103 III.1 CHALLENGING THE NORMS AND SYSTEMS AROUND HUMAN MATERIAL ..................... 16 VIII DISCUSSION ....................................................................................... 109 III.2 MODERN FABRICATION TECHNIQUES OF HUMAN HAIR ......................................... 18 VIII.1 SPECULATED SYSTEMS .............................................................................. 109 IV AIM...................................................................................................... 21 VIII.2 CHALLENGE OF USAGE POTENTIAL OF THE MATERIAL ....................................... 110 V INTRA-VIRONMENTAL THINKING .............................................................. 22 VIII.3 CHALLENGE OF DESIGNING ........................................................................ 113 VI METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 24 IX LIST OF REFERENCES ........................................................................... 119 VI.1 DESIGN APPROACH ........................................................................................ 24 X IMAGERY ............................................................................................... 122 VI.2 DESIGN PROCESS ........................................................................................... 24 VI.3 DESIGN RATIONALE ........................................................................................ 26 VII DEVELOPMENT & RESULTS .................................................................... 28 VII.1 THE MATERIAL LIBRARY OF THE SYMBIOCENE ................................................. 29 VII H375,000,000O132,000,000C85,700,000N6,430,000Ca1,500,000P1,020,000 S206,000Na183,000K177,000Cl127,000Mg40,000Si38,600Fe2,680 Zn2,110Cu76,114Mn13F13Cr7Se4Mo3Co1 “It looks like something you might find in a barrel of toxic waste but it’s the chemical formula for a human being. You have to multiply each number by seven hundred trillion, but those are the correct chemical ratios for one human body. So, if you hear someone say they distrust chemicals, feel free to reassure them. They are a chemical” (James, 2018, p.4) 1 Figure 5 Artistic visualization of the process: From Hair to Kera-Plast 2 reason, extending this approach with already existing waste resources is I Introduction promising. I.1 The starting scenario The idea of the inclusion of unused resources like waste or byproducts is by no means new. Already our ancestors have found the right tactics and Materiality plays a crucial role in the daily life of our society (United Nations techniques to get the most out of every product and process, often due to Knowledge Platform, n.d.). Preformed norms guide our lives. Established limited resources and the motivation to survive. With the advent of ethics and living standards are often based on the imbalance and exploitation industrialization, mass consumption, and the resulting prosperity, we have lost of fossil resources of the planet. This lead to a growing material footprint per sight of the connection with the natural origins. Pyle argues about the current capita over the last decades. While in 1990, some 8.1 tones of natural relationship of humans to nature that it is not connected any longer in such a resources fulfilled a person`s need per year, almost 12 tones were extracted way a sustainable future is possible (Pyle, 2003). per person in 2015. In global terms, this means the worldwide material consumption from 92.1 billion tons in 2017, could reach to 190 billion tons by 2060 (United Nations Knowledge Platform, n.d.). Besides, the continually growing population increases the pressure on our current living and consumption systems. The current number of 7.7 billion world population, is forecasted by the United Nations to rise to 9,7 billion in 2050, reaching its peak of about 11 billion around 2100 (United Nations, 2019). We require new solutions to be prepared for the higher demands of consumer goods, food supply as well as the preservation of resources for future generations. For commodities, renewable resources are often considered to be a more sustainable option due to biodegradability and relatively fast Figure 6 Forecasted population growth by the United Nation reaching the peak replenishment. Even the additional cultivation requires, if not even more at 2100 at around 11 billion people (United Nations, 2019) valuable resources, which could be invested more useful e.g., in food. For this Precisely this connection between man and nature is essential for a sustainable human living. The authors Rau and Oberhuber (2018), who are dealing with sustainable forms of economy, underline that within the closed system of the earth, all material goods are limited. Everything is interrelated