Wheat starch

Incorporate

This hand-crafted bioplastic is made from biomass component: wheat starch.

The starch is mixed together with water, glycerin and white vinegar and simmered on a heat. It is then coloured with pigments or inks. The drying context (temperature, humidity rate) will define its shapes and texture. Depending on the recipe (quantity of water, glycerine or vinegar), it will take more or less time to dry, usually from 2 to 8 days.

Starch is a reserve molecule for plants and a common component of the human diet. Used in this particular context, it has the property to breathe, digest, mutate and regenerate itself. The bioplastic is a material in-between several states and acquires an infinite transformation, constantly changing materiality over time. It can also be reheated and reformed.

Exposed at a high humidity rate, the bioplastic is consequently mutating, breaking and liquefying itself. In a stable environment, the matter can also dry out. The sisal (natural fibre from agave) creates a structure that prevents the bioplastic from decomposing into several pieces and allows it to stick together.

‘Incorporate’ was developed during a residency at Centre d’Art du Parc Saint Léger and presented in a group show at MO.CO Panacée.

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.