With all the non biodegradable plastic bags dumped all over the city, I decided to recycle them in my own way.The images below show iterations of material exploration with locally collected plastic bags.
ITERATION 1
The aim was to defy the usual properties of a polybag, convert the flimsy bags into a sturdier form. The first idea was to heat and twist thin strips of polythene and make it into rope like structures. I also fused it with metal by soldering some wire over to make the structure stronger.
ITERATION 2
Inspired by the popular fable, I cut the polybag into thin strips, rolled them into forming sticks and stuck them together. As a result, I got a much sturdier structure but it was flexible at the same time because of the glue and air between each element.
ITERATION 3
Taking the above iteration forward, I now worked on the texture. The aim was to turn this unnatural material into a much organic looking structure. The texture looked somewhat like a bark of a tree.
This texture was a result of hit and trials of rolling, cutting and burning of plastic.
I created a seat by joining these structures. It was strong enough to bear human weight and spring back into original shape as one got up. It felt warm and cozy like a lap, as remarked by some users.
Iteration 4
Next, I used the same method of rolling cutting and burning to create this structure. However, I cut the structures in a different way. Again, the aim was to get a natural texture.
ITERATION 5
This texture was created on a blue polythene bag by heating a woodcut tool and scraping the plastic with it.
