This Future Materials Encounter puts forward Ocragela – a sustainable, biodegradable material introduced by material and conceptual designer Soowon Chae.
With just four key ingredients – ochre, gelatin, glycerin, and water – Soowon is able to create a variety of textures, colours, flexibility, and patterns. By changing the proportions of the ingredients, the temperature, or the way it is poured, Ocragela can take on a leather-like, silicone or plastic-like quality, and it may be hand-stitched or machine-sewn, opening up an array of applications.
During the course of two workshops, participants explored the ingredients and created their own Ocragela sample. This workshop was a moment of reciprocal inspiration and exchange of reflections, stories, and ideas around a material which invites to question our way of producing and consuming.