Fique fibre, Charcoal

Calor

CALOR which is the Spanish word for «heat» and is the name of this new collection.

“Human impact on the climate is evident. There is no doubt that the escalation of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere throughout the industrial era is a direct outcome of human actions. Human activities are the primary catalyst behind numerous transformations witnessed in the atmosphere, oceans, forests, and ecosystems”.

The dry seasons of recent years have been causing numerous wildfires in forests and jungles around the world, prompting some communities to implement different strategies to slow forest degradation. In Medellín, Colombia, it has been found that the fique plant, a member of the Agavaceae family that is distributed throughout Latin America, proves to be a useful element in combating the spread of wildfires and stopping vegetation loss.

This plant has fire-resistant qualities due to its high water concentration in its leaves, which create a natural barrier that acts as an obstacle, thereby halting the progress of fire. Traditionally, the fique plant has been used in Colombia to create crafts, ranging from traditional coffee sacks to carpets and accessories in the fashion industry.
In the process of extracting and combing fique fibre, waste is generated, known as «residue oakum» which has become the primary material for the Calor collection.

The project aims to showcase the technical and aesthetic potential of the fique plant through a series of pieces, exploring the utilization and use of the material.
This initial series of 13 candleholders represents a small forest devastated by flames, with the intention of raising awareness about the benefits of cultivating fique plants near the forest and simultaneously calling for the emergence of new craft techniques using this fibre.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.