Sustainable Design Collection
Spring 2021 Sustainable Design Studio: Jessica Moore, Jared Strand, Khesed Ritchie, Michelle Bonilla, & Audra Frieden
During a sustainable design class in college, our studio was challenged to create a designed object or experience that encouraged mindfulness and value towards the materials + resources we use instead of mindless consumption. The pieces also explore what it looks like to design in a way that carries materials Cradle to Cradle instead of Cradle to Grave.
The Collection
Each designer made a unique piece that came together to form a complete collection including a handmade table and chairs, a hand-bound book made with hand-pulled paper, hand-carved buttons, and a textile woven by hand on a table-top loom. All materials were locally and sustainably sourced in Marion, IN. Besides the removable chair covers (made from local reclaimed denim containing synthetic fibers), the collection is fully biodegradable.
The Textile
My piece of the collection was the textile. This was created from 100% cotton yarn that had been passed down from a longtime local artist, Ardelia Williams. It was then woven on one of her recovered table-top looms, with strips of handmade paper woven intermittently throughout. Jessica Moore and I made this paper out of reclaimed 100% cotton jeans. Khesed Ritchie carved wooden buttons with which we attached illustrations of the material lifecycles.
