Inner Values
Due to livestock farming and industrial slaughter methods the prices for animal products have decreased enormously in the recent past. While just some decades ago farm animals were highly valued and mostly all of their resources were further processed, in present times only the tastiest and easiest to prepare parts of an animal are actually used. Today less than half of an animal is really further processed in Germany. All the rest goes to animal rendering plants and thus more or less directly to the garbage can.
In addition, since consumers never get in contact with the raising and slaughter process of animals, they started to be disgusted by the so-called 'by-products' of animals. But are slaughter „by-products“ really nothing more than waste? Is our rejective attitude towards these materials justified and legitimate? Or shouldn’t we, if we really need to kill an animal, at least appreciate all of its resources instead?
Based on these questions Tobias Trübenbacher initiated his INNER VALUES project: two seating pieces of furniture out of tanned and further processed cattle intestines and pigs’ bladders, transformed to soft leather. Thereby, the former poor reputation of the supposed 'waste products' is being replaced and infused with opposite values. It is the advance of the material to become something soft, inviting and curiously aesthetic, the chairs uncover a new value and unique beauty of these inner skins.
INNER VALUES reveals that these skins can have equal qualities as conventional leather after they were cleaned, pickled, regreased and tanned for several weeks. The outcomes not only demonstrate that the materials can have equal qualities as conventional leather after they were cleaned, pickled, regreased and tanned for several weeks and that further use is reasonable. In addition, the pieces of furniture also stimulate to rethink the handling of animal resources in our society and to question our unreflected waste culture.
Additional information
Tobias Trübenbacher started the INNER VALUES project with various material studies in order to explore the animal skins, to understand their characteristics and qualities and to try out different possibilities to conserve them. Therefore, for instance, the materials were dried, stretched, interwoven, prepared with glue and resin or blown up. The designer also experimented with both traditional and new tanning processes.
Based on the findings of these first trials, Tobias Trübenbacher decided to focus on pigs’ bladders and cattle intestines, which are both waste materials, usually thrown away after slaughter.
At first, the innards were cleaned with vinegar solution and freed of fat or meat remnants. After washing the purified materials in clear water they were tanned for several weeks with natural tannins. During this process, the skins, which mainly consist of proteins, contract, their protein fibres solidify and merge together. Next, the designer regressed the bladders and intestines by repeatedly massaging a mixture of train oil, Vaseline, curd soap and tallow in the material. Afterwards, the materials were kneaded, stretched and tumbled in order to transform the stiff, brittle and wrinkled skins into light, soft leather, which was then stuffed with recycled cotton wool, sewn shut and attached to a seat frame.
Information submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank.
Ingredients
Pig bladder, cattle intestine, steel frame, rope, recycled cotton, tannin