1) (WHAT) The project: title and phrase that describes it (vision/mission)
2) (WHAT) A poster (like a pager, advertisement or design overview)
3) (WHY) Inspiration and State of the art: timeline of projects/research
that is relevant to your state of art
4) (WHY/WHO) Numbers/statistics (optional - if you have conducted an inquiry)
5) (WHY/WHO) References: Case studies and existing similar projects (4 max)
6) (for WHO) Case study - user experience, make an assumption of a
person (character) that uses it (if applicable)
7) (HOW) How does your prototype/project manifest your idea, what it
tackles, improves or changes from the state of the art
8) (HOW) Technical research: Outline of how it materializes the goal/focus of the project
9) (HOW/DOCUMENTATION) User manual if it is a machine or kit
10) Message to the world: what is the project's message? in one line define the future possibilities of the project.
##1. AN ARCHIVE OF DIY, OPEN-SOURCE MATERIALS
A curated selection from best practices found in research labs, material archives and design studios from all over the world. The information itself was already widely known, this project is an effort to ask new questions, and think up new structures for organising and building on this knowledge in open, collaborative ways, not over-simplifying nor mystifying the information and skills needed.
What is offered here:
- A starter pack with a **selection of 25 DIY recipes for biobased alternatives to common design materials** like inks, dyes, (thermoformed and thermoset) plastics, composites, leathers and crystals.
-**An invitation to develop your own selection of 25 core recipes**, to suit *your* local context and ingredients locally abundant around you. The materials are selected based on the local availability of their ingredients (e.g. potato starch produced locally, instead of corn starch, dye of onion skins instead of hibiscus tea).
-**Description of the cultural origins** of each material and the techniques involved (which may be questioned and expanded)
-**Ethical and ecological considerations** for each material (which can be questioned and expanded)
-**A set of tools for local archiving** to enable sensory exploration of the open-source materials available and aid material-driven design pedagogy.
-**A framework for collaborative online archiving** following these principles, that can be further developed in the future
##2. BECAUSE MATERIAL ACTIVISM NEEDS DEMYSTIFICATION
-**we need *ongoing* material activism**, especially in the face of smart and advanced materials increasing popularity. What could be methods to continue to demystify material craftsmanship as materials research evolves and becomes highly technical and less accessible due to increasing complexity as well as patenting intellectual property?
-**if plactics are not the only issue, then bioplastics are not the only solution**, dyeing and chemical treatments and finishes are equally if hazardous for the environment and workers.
-**designers and makers need to get comfortable drawing from different fields of knowledge** and their methods like empirical approaches and systematic ways of experimenting and documenting, such as in fields of biology, chemistry and other "hard" sciences.
- but we need to be equally **aware of history, cultural heritage and the politics of design materials** in terms of their cultural history, as well as their socio-economic and ecological implications.
##3. FOR THE OBSESSIVELY CURIOUS, THE CRITICAL MAKERS, THE MATERIAL LOVERS
*You are a maker or designer, a design student or maker educator. Your are o board with all of this. Where and how do I start, you ask?*
-**make materials from scratch**: as this will bring the entire ecology of material knowledge, production, distribution and legislation into view and open to questioning;
-**cultivate material craftsmanship** and understand the importance time and controlled environments effect on a material's growth/curing/drying.
- look for and learn to appreciate **locally abundant resources** and their potential, and start to see them appear in very unlikely places;
-**spend time with materials and resources**, attention and dedication to the cooking/curing/drying or growth process will allow you to start seeing alternative uses, options, applications.
-**learn from practices from all over the world** to strengthen your own locally centered practice (not yielding to the temptation of turning that wealth of knowledge into a candy shop);
-**ask questions to stay with the trouble** of socalled sustainable materials, rather than setting out to find silver bullet solutions.
-**document and share** your process, research and outcomes.
