Translucent Skin
An often forgotten aspect of the fishing industry, are the residual fish skins. This project aims at re-using the thrown-away salmon skins, by celebrating their lightweight and translucent material properties. The long material experimentation phase revealed the natural properties of the fish skin.
The material research resulted in a space divider, which provides a subtle visual separation. The visual language is inspired by conventional fishing nets, referring to the act of excessive and exploitive fishing practices.
Making process
Throughout the material experimentation process, Luna investigated various bio-based processing methods. Attempts of creating bio-plastic solutions, extracting glue from the fish scales and weaving fish skin leather, led her to eventually stick to a simple leather-making process.
By starting to remove the scales from the skin, then "marinating" the cleansed skin in an egg-yolk + rapeseed oil solution, the skins are eventually rinsed and air-dried. After being completely dry, the leather is cut into modules with the aim of leaving the least amount of leftovers. Each module is connected with metal rings, that can be detached again, making the space dividers easy to disassemble.
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.
Ingredients
Egg yolk, rapeseed oil, wood, metal, sisal