primary research
london•outside visits
Wood waste, Green Lanes 10.02.2020
Wood carriers I found while walking next to a park, near a Wall Climbing place. This shows how extra materials/objects are stored outside, taking up space but not damaging the environment.
This shows all the waste I generated just by having lunch. The only recyclable item was the water bottle and not even all of it. This made me rethink my project and how I should study it : materiality? human behaviour? waste?
This recycling machine was in Kings Cross, I only found one like this there. It's very useful as it indicates what to recycle and what not to recycle. It also rewards the individual for recycling thus, encouraging people to recycled and feel good about their sustainable action.
This massive bin shows how waste is collected in Camden and also how waste is contained in such a large recipient.
Through this photo and object, my aim waste show how waste is collected and how as a designer I could make this waste collection easier and simpler for the people. I also want to change human behaviour and perspective towards waste and recycling.
In the Design Museum, I was really surprised at the study done behind waste in an airplane and how the designer developed one solution focused on plastic water bottles.
What was amazing about the exhibit was the material research. It made me widen my material research such as coconut or even wheat.
This user interaction/experience made me realise how children get interested and invested in museums and within new technologies. Through my project, I want my final outcome to be playful, inclusive and easily used.
Walking around London, I realised how much waste and bin bags were played upon the streets. How could I change this? what product could I design to replace/challenge/rethink... bin bags?
This recycling system was near my home. I thought it was really successful as it's a playful way to recycle cups that are used daily by everyone, mostly in London. From what I've noticed over the past months, Londoners love having coffee and tea throughout the day in cups or in their own mugs.
I found this while doing my grocery shopping. It made me realise that before doing online and book research, I needed to look around me and how designers have already found some solutions to plastic waste. This subject is the perfect representation of this as each bag is made from 4 plastic bottles.
While walking to go to the library, I was surprised to find this plastic bag on the tree. Two weeks later, and it was still there. This shocked me most as many people walk on that street, spend time in the little park and yet, no one has tried to to take out of the tree.
How can I change human behaviour to be more willing to help the environment through small actions like trash picking?
This is again an example of how trash is played in the streets of London, with different coloured bags. How can people put trash in such a way?
This truck, rubbish clearance - extreme cleaning - any rubbish, was in Hoxton. I saw while in the bus and was actually the first thing I saw relating to garbage disposal. Why do people leave their garbage on the streets and such companies are put in place to avoid it? How as a designer could I make a positive experience for people between them and waste?
Another pile of waste in the middle of the streets. How are walkers, Londoners not shocked by this? How is the cleaning system organised in London?
This is really interesting because it shows how '& other stories' promotes their environmental help and awareness through this poster. They encourage their customers to bring back old materials and containers, thus making them want to recycle to get some advantages but also to make themselves feel better as they have a positive impact on the environment. I really like this idea of pushing people to come back, giving them a reward. I would really like my project to do that in some way.
I took this photo in a streets near my accommodation in Hoxton. I couldn't believe the amount o f big bins that were just placed on the street this way. Although some where for recycling I don't believe that bins should be placed this way in a public space. It smelled bad from far away and took up all the space. How can be change this way of placing bins outside?
I thought it would be interesting to record how the cleaner takes the trash out from a restaurant, Wasabi, to then clean the bins and place new bin liners. I thought it was horrible to see her having to almost sit on the floor and have her face right next to the bins. I also find it strange how the full binbag is just in the middle of the store.
I found this poster in the CSM building and thought it was important to show how involved a university is towards making changes with our behaviours towards the climate change. I anted to participate in this march but I had class to I wasn't able too. I also love the fact that no one is obligated to join but that anyone can participate and show their love and passion for our planet through defending it.
I believe it would be interesting to share this form a small galleria as it just shows through paintings and photography very dark and mysterious things. To me, the use of space in the exhibition was interesting as it showed how much we are actually willing to do to make something look good we don't always think about the consequences.
I found this book in the Design museum's library and took a look inside. Basically, it explains the story and adventures of Greta fighting for the environment. She's brave and an icon to the green activist movement that needs to be heard by more people. in my opinion.
This is really sad. A plastic bottle in the Thames.I wish there would a more participation of the people to remove plastic and other waste from the water. A while back, there were fish in the Thames but now due to the extended usage of it for boats and pollution, the last fish there was since in the 1980s apparently. How could we change this?
This take-away box from a restaurant in Archway shows no interest in being sustainable. This really surprised me as the store is just near our very sustainable aimed university.
When this came up as I was paying, I was astonished by the message. Not only is it true but very relatable as I was buying a cup and didn't feel my impact while doing so. Messages like this change people's behaviours and should be written everywhere.
This information showed up as I was paying for my food at CSM . I think it's great to make people aware of what they're buying habits and products consume of resources and their impacts once made. This makes the consumer realise that his product isn't just a bottle but.a long making process that uses resources and produces pollution.
These images are from my friend's sketchbook. She went to a museum that had some really weird stuff that someone once collected and donated to them. I thought this was interesting as the person who did this kept all this instead of throwing it away or donating them or destroying them. How can I encourage people to pay more attention to their actions in wasting and waste management.
my home research
This experimental work is really fascinating. This work was exhibited at the Design museum and the story behind it really caught my eye. Indeed, its designer took oil and fats from different restaurants, classified them by the food's country/origin and then created material from the fats. This shows us that we can use old materials, as crazy as fats, to make new materials and products instead of creating from scratch.
Using a 3D printer is something I'd love to do in this project for my first prototypes. I've never used and our school has plenty to offer but I wonder, is it sustainable? I've seen some 3D printers that use clay instead of plastic and what If I did the same here? I just don't think that either materials are adequate for my project's outcome.
This is from the Design Museum in a sort of secret section of the museum. I though it was fantastic to have a sustainable wall made of sand but didn't really understand the concept. I like that this won't hurt the environment like bricks or concrete but isn't it also a waste of one of our precious resources?
secondary research
historical research
Researchers used a piece of research equipment that was invented in the 1920s - Early ocean plastic litter traced to 1960s
Ocean waste was discovered by accident !!! This is what I read in this article where scientists were looking for something else when they found out how much waste, mostly plastic, lied in the ocean.
This article made me realise how recent this phenomena is and ,mostly, how unaware people are of it. I asked many of my peers what they knew about the '8th continent' and many of them didn't even know what I was talking about.
This book was very interesting and helpful to me as it explained everything about plastic, its benefits but also how it has a negative impact on the environment because of its molecular structure.
It also gave me insight on what countries are trying to do to fight plastic, find solutions.
The idea of a municipal authority with powers to remove rubbish was talked of in the mid-18th century by Corbyn Morris
It's during the 18th century that the first waste plant was created. Through this research, I wanted to see how and when this wasting habit was created to see its root and how as a designer I could change this habit.
This book made me realise how much, how we can change, relate to waste. How waste can be used in a circular economy and how it could be used to generate money but also be used as a material.
pathway context
This product clearly demonstrates Product design as not only is it a sustainable product and finds a way to reuse and recycle old waste but it can also be used as a wearable and stylish shoe.
This made me think of how I could make a product that promotes environmental awareness and can be used daily, be comfortable.
This designer made furniture and sculpture fro blowing plastic. This is a technic I didn't think of and have never experimented with. Through this project, I want to experiment as much as I can with making processes and materials.
This furniture made me realise how abstract one can be and that my product could use the plastic properties of being translucent and see-through.
This little stool is absolutely amazing to me in terms of how it was made and its utility. It can be easily transported and used as it's made of strong materials that are also light. It's also made entirely of found waste in the ocean, the entire stool is made on a boat while picking up ocean trash.
This object is very useful, space saving and practical as it can hold a water bottle to the bag without taking up space. I also enjoy this product's utility as it pushes people to stop single use plastic. on the other hand, I don't find the design of the arrow elegant and may impact the users the product will touch.
This design is by far one of my favourites as it revolutionised the transportation system and storage system. This made me think of ways I could, NUDGE, make a small change in an already made object or create something small that could have a big impact.
This lounge/outdoor furniture piece is really interesting in terms of shapes, colours, and materials. Not only is it sustainable with its recycled plastic, but it's playful, colourful and can be used to rest upon.
This brings happiness to my eyes and to the children. Making an object so functional and playful for children with missing limbs is really something amazing. The designer gives the child the possibility the have better quality life and make them feel more included. This will enable them to experience life with this product.
personal context
cultural context
these small clay cups are used in India to drink tea and then throw the cup on the floor. The clay is then collected and with a mixing of water, it becomes liquids again and can be burnt to create a new cup. This sustainable beverage holder is a tradition that is sustainable and beautiful. I want my project to have a long term usage and impact like this.
I wanted to know how different cultures impact the way every person produces waste. I read that America consumes twice the amount of waste that could cover the earth in just 1 year. That's insane andhow is that even possible? People need to be more aware of what they're doing to the planet and how it's affecting the ecosystem as well as their health.
art & design context
This sculpture or you could say installation is absolutely amazong. All the blocks are made from compressed plastic bags and are displayed facing a screen that's about the oceans and the impact of water pollution to it. This has such a strong message and yet is so beautiful.
These fish are so beautiful, swimming in the air, free and careless. I wish that would be true but in reality, fish are sometimes over exploited and taken for captivity, feeding or for decoration. Why can't we do something about this? How could I as a designer make people aware of such phenomenas and help them tp act against it?
https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2016/frank-gehry-fish-lamps/
This is such a cool installation !! I was fascinated by this when I first saw it and read about it. Ever bible here Is filled with the same air pollution as another city ranging from Shangai to Tokyo... This was to show people how different the air is and how much it can impact our healthy and well being. The pure air of some countries really help the people daily unintentionally .
This is so beautiful and symbolic. Made form only things from the outdoor nature, It makes me think of balance, when the world was smaller and there were no cars, no skyscrapers... that men only took what it needed to survive and nothing else. We have become so materialist we don't even think of our impact.
articles•reports•facts
This document is really shocking although dated from a while ago. It says the worst possible facts about waste, how it is a bad impact and how bad humans are in terms of creating it and disposing of it. I hate reading things like this because it makes me feel bad about what I'm doing as a person to stop things like these from happening, although I wasn't even aware of them sometimes.
This graph is really shocking as it shows how much the presence of wastes in the ocean has grown over the years and is still developing. We must act now to at least make this graph go down. It will do a lot of good the marine life, our well-being, and global warming, rising sea levels... This issue was caused by us and we need to revert it.
Sources
mnn. 2009. The 8th continent: Pacific Ocean garbage patch. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/the-8th-continent-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch. [Accessed 12 February 2020].
NOAA. 2020. Garbage Patches. [ONLINE] Available at: https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html. [Accessed 12 February 2020].
Vishwakarma University. 2019. Our oceans - A plastic Soup. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.vupune.ac.in/blog/tag/innovation. [Accessed 12 February 2020].
National Geographic. 2019. Great Pacific Garbage Patch. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/. [Accessed 12 February 2020].
Coastal care. 2019. When the mermaids cry : the great plastic tide. [ONLINE] Available at: https://plastic-pollution.org. [Accessed 12 February 2020].
Mother Earth Living. 2012. The Harmful Effects of Plastic on Human Health and the Environment. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/harmful-effects-of-plastic-ze0z1205zsch. [Accessed 12 February 2020].
Impact Hub - Global Community. 2019. Plastic: The Problem And Its Impact. [ONLINE] Available at: https://impacthub.net/plastic-the-problem-and-its-impact/. [Accessed 12 February 2020].
political context
This product/machine is absolutely amazing. Its goal is to clean up oceans or smaller bodies of water like s=lakes or canals from all the waste we produce. I wish there was another solution to this issue but this machine is a start at raising awareness and collecting all this waste that could harm animals in the water.
https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/29/river-plastic-pollution-technology/
Young Greta as the I can for environmental activists. She shows the anyone can fight for the rights of the environment who can't speak for himself. She is a true icon to me as a girl so young has been able to bring real attention to this crisis that we need to find solutions to.
This museum space is so beautiful yet scary. I love this work as it makes people aware of wtf is actually going on in the ocean. All the debris is collected by the water and through tides and water movements, they end up grouping each other to create big flat islands of pollution that's just floating. Education and sharing knowledge and awareness is something I want to be involved in with this project.
end user context
I thought this diagram would be useful to show exactly how human pollution impact us !! we damage our own health and the owns of our environment. How can I find a way to educate people about this? It's feels unbelievable that we are ourselves making our health deteriorate.
This poor turtle is caught between then nets and can't get out. This is a severe yet common phenomena in the ocean. Theres also cases where marine life thinks plastic are animals like jelly fish and will eat them. This is extremely bad for their health as well as for ours since we eat the animals that consume sometimes toxic things.
Due to the amount of waste in the ocean, there's incidents with fishing nets but fishermen and researchers can also find fish nets in the water floating that trap animals and products inside. How could I design something to prevent this from happening?
This trash picker photo is sad yet motivational photo. The waste land like here provides work for people and shows that some of its waste is picked up for recycling. On the other hand, it also shows how bad we're treating our environment spreading our waste across beaches and chemicals in oceans.
This design is very interesting to me in terms of its used materials but mainly on the message it shares. Being made of old kids toys makes it a sustainable furniture piece, but, it also teaches the children who will sit on it a view on sustainability.
In this project, I want to educate people, teach them how they can be aware consumers and producers, thus having and sharing a positive impact on the environment and the people that surround them.
materials & methods
This project is so great as the designer of this material is actually from UAL but used all the waste he create to make a new material that is sustainable, beautiful and easy to produce. I love the colours and shape and texture of this work. What if my product was colourful and made from waste?
This packaging is so encouraging and smart and innovative. I love the fact that the Guardian has explained exactly what to do with the packaging to make it easier and understandable for the user to through away. This is so sustainable, subtle yet an amazing design in terms of functionality and materiality.
This is also a new type of material that interesting me not only because it looks looks texturised and comfortable, but because it's very strong and is sustainable. During this project, I want my product to be sustainable and encourage people to turn around towards materials and lifestyles that don't damage our environment as much.
UK student's fish-waste bioplastic MarinaTex wins 2019 James Dyson Award top prize
I can't talk enough about this project. Using fish scale and other components to create a durable,, and biodegradable product is amazing. From research, I learnt that plastic is most used in packaging. This material could be the solution to replace plastic. I'm wondering about the cost of production of this material though as well as the cost for the consumer? And where and how would there be enough fish scale provided?
https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/15/marinatex-lucy-hughes-james-dyson-award-design/
This work really fascinates me !! I love the way the designer used old food to create a sustainable material that can be used daily and that won't be aggressive to the environment. I want my product to have a positive impact like this and tell a story too.
I love this photo as it summarises in a beautiful way the way we are attached to plastic as if we were like them, stuck to it. This project was really interesting as it described how the usage of plastic everywhere is taking oner materials and how we could help prevent this.
videos • documentaries
CLICK PHOTO FOR VIDEO - Dianna Cohen - Ted Talk - Tough truths about plastic pollution
This Ted Talk was shocking as it revealed exact what I needed to know abut plastic although some of it was really hard to hear.
We need to change the way humans perceive this material and how we can each through simple and small actions have a positive impact on the environment through using less or changing the way we waste/dispose of it.
This documentary by NatGeoWild was interesting because it shocked me and made me realise how bad the human impact is on the ocean, the marine life, the environment, our well-being. This only showed one solution found by an enterprise when there could be so many more. As a designers and an individual who deeply cares about the environment, our well-being... I want and need to create a design that would give another solution to this massive problem.
Ted Talk - Emma Bryce [Directed by Sharon Colman, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Peter Gosling]. (2015). What really happens to the plastic you throw away?
This animated find was really interesting as it clearly showed the three 'options' plastic water bottles could have once bought by people. This made me realise I wanted my project to educate people to ensure the plastic water bottle is reuse/recycled after it's been used by a person instead of polluting the environment and causing problems to well-being of the planet.
Dave Hakkens - YouTube. (2020). What really happens to the plastic you throw away?
This video is really interesting to me as not only is it recent, so reliable and up-to-date with our modern world but it explains exclaim through graphics and fun videos how plastic actually changes and becomes once it's in the trash.
Japan's incredible waste-free town where everything is recycled | Ways to Change the World
This documentary was absolutely fascinating because I never could have imagined a person yet alone an entire village to have no waste !! During my 'waste week experiment' of keeping all my waste, I realised how much I damaged the planet. Making the world a zero waste planet is impossible or very veryyyy ambitious. But, I could make a product like NUDGE, that would impact one part of the disposal process but make a big difference.
In this video took, I wanted to show the flow of water and of waste in it. This to me clearly show a fraction of what's going on in the ocean. People can't see what's actually happening and therefore don't care. This is one of the many things that must be changed.
• quarantine research •
All this research is from Amazone. I wanted to find a scale that was flat and modern. I found out that most of them are connected to their own app and this just upgraded my entire project. I didn't know you could do that and that's why I got so excited when finding this. I want my project to take a new direction by using this system to get directly their scale numbers from the bins onto their phones.
Here I was looking for attachment systems that are small yet efficient. I need to create one for attaching the bin liners Indies the bin, thus making sure they don't fall flat at the bottom of the bin and also don't tear through it. I'm thinking of combining some of these to create a new one that will be incorporated inside of my final product.
This bin is so beautiful and amazing. To me bins are something essential, used daily and can be a chore. This product looks like it could make this journey of throwing trash out a lot more practical. Its two recycling compartments is also what I like most but is it useful like efficient to use this system daily?
This colour coded bin liner system is very interesting to me as it gives a playful way for people to recycle and remember which colours stands for what type of material needs to go inside. I would like to create such a system where people can personalise how they want to recycle, through colour systems, logos or simply the writing maybe? I'm hoping that giving them a choice to recycle somehow will encourage them to do is as they'll feel empowered.
I thought this was such a cute and smart recycling bin. The fact that it's closed and can make the waste smells go down is really good for homes. Having the smells of everything can be so overwhelming and disgusting. I want to create a product that makes the 'bin experience' better and cleaner so it won't feel like such a chore anymore.
This bin liner holder system is really useful. You can buy this objects everywhere and they make it so easy to store and use bin liners. I like the fact that the user put two of them, to create one for every type of recycling bin liners. This will push the user to want to clean out bins and recycle on a daily basis.
This bins look so fun to have. They were actually designed for people to use during Christmas. Not only are they playful but sadly, they wanted to show the suers of much waste is generated around a short period of time where people party and drink and open presents. So much waste is produced around times of holidays and this should really change.
This photo that I found on instragam was really nice as it shows the impact of a simple, small and home object that everyone has. It shows how one's purpose can be altered and make a difference. Using cloths clips really inspired me to try and develop a product that has purpose and is simple.
This bamboo bag absolutely fascinates me. The fact that it's so strong, light, thin, useful and playful all combined. I love that it forms a positive face when unused, to then expand and carry things inside. This is exactly what I'd like my designs to bring to people, a send of 'wow'.
I thought this was funny as It really sums up what happens in households, at least in mine. Bins are meant to be cleaned out then filled up, the cleaned... It's an entire system that has the same actions over time and it can be tiring and exhausting to do this. I personally hate taking the bin out so how can I make this experience better for every household and even for younger children who need to do chores.
This compartmentalised metallic bin is really interesting to me because it reflected how bins can invite people to recycle, through colours codes and by creating one product that unites everything. I like this system but I wonder how convenient it is and the amount of waste each one can take.
Since the lockdown, there's been a lot less human activity across the world and it's complete changed the planet. I mean, fish in Vends canals, Penguins in the streets of Cape Town and then a decrease massive in Chinese air pollution. This simply shows exactly how bad our influence is on the planet and that we need to resolve this issue now before another worse pandemic does it for us.
All of this research is from photos in Archway or near my home in London. I thought it was so funny that there was four different in sin Aldis, and all in different places and each was complexity different. One small one on the floor, hidden behind a wall, one at the entrance that was old and ugly, another one inside that was empty.
Near the bus stop, I noticed a pretty small bin where someone had even thrown away their umbrella. I liked how you could recycle waste and that it was compartmentalised but it was relatively small for a bin in a public space.
The other bins are from the university and talking to a tutor, we both were saying how uneasy they are to use and how they were unattractive. I need to create something that will re-invent the world of bins, give it a new purpose and a new place among a space and between people and the product.
I thought this was monstrous when I saw it on Instagram, knowing it was located near my accommodation in London but after reading the text, I discovered it was an artwork made to show people how bad and beauttiful waste can be. I think this is very shocking and clearly demonstrates how much human generate waste and how we must learn to change this habit.
The photo above and the three below are all from the same brand : Farrow and ball. My mom gave me this when she saw I was struggling to find ideas and colours for the aesthetic outs of my product. I actually became crazy and fell in love with their colours. I researched their website and thought that, since I don't create colours, I should take from the best. I thought this would be interesting , to select some colours, and create some colours matching patterns, so the customer will have a broader colour palette to choose from. This was the funnest experience and from this, I even had decided to make a colour brochure.
This document is really shocking although dated from a while ago. It says the worst possible facts about waste, how it is a bad impact and how bad humans are in terms of creating it and disposing of it. I hate reading things like this because it makes me feel bad about what I'm doing as a person to stop things like these from happening, although I wasn't even aware of them sometimes.
This video (sorry for all the noises) is my mom making the trash out. I wanted to analyse how this process works in more detail, look if there's any behaviour someone would think of but actually those, like when shaking a packet of sugar before opening it. Here, I noticed my mom did sort of the same thing before placing the bin liner back inside the general waste bin.