Coconut husk

Can you see a forest in the palm?

What happens when material production and identity are directly linked to the ways we grow plants?

The ingredients of this composite are based directly on the structure of the coconut plantation. Local plants that could be grown between the palms are bound with reused coconut husks in the form of starch, dye or fibre. Drawing from traditional practices and natural systems, the composition of the material is expressing the local ecosystem formed by neighbouring plant species.

Materials could be produced locally as different food products are prepared. Parts of plants such as cassava, pandan, citrus fruits, Inigo or madder are mixed together with ground coconut fibre, which is then heated and pressed into a mould.

This process provides a way to transform monocultural plantation byproducts (coconut husks with fibre) into an added value material/ product, as well as renew a monoculture style of growing by changing the plantation into a forest.

Information submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank.

Ingredients

Credits

Farmers from Riau Province, Indonesia ; Lund University School of Industrial Design