Material

Mud

By

Made in

Biodegradable 260 Circular 242 Composite 109 Plant-based 189 Recyclable 138 Regenerative 58 Straw 5

Mud
Mud
Mud
Mud
Mud

Photos: Austėja Platūkytė

Temporary home for nature

In this research designer Austėja Platūkytė explored the possibilities of natural materials and primitive technology, while using only site-specific materials which were sourced from less than 100 meters radius. To reflect the sustainability and show the natural beauty of unique local materials.

The designer explored the technology of the mud-brick processing. Inspired by ancient organic materials, which had a plasticity property, used by the first people on Earth. In this research, she had a chance to experiment with various natural materials to create these bricks, which were used in a land art installation.

This abstract object asks us to rethink the current relationship between humans and nature and to express the ideas of biocentrism and ecocentrism, which ethically extend the intrinsic value of all living things and nature as a whole. The object also has a metaphorical meaning and invites people to create and build a home brick by brick for all of us, rather than collapse all the ecosystems on this planet. The biodegradable shelter constructed of mud bricks was installed in wild nature where it can slowly incorporate with its own environment. In the near future, it will be transformed by natural processes and eventually decompose into new hybrid materials, coming back to different layers of the Earth and could again become a new form of art.

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

Mud, straw