Design for a Healthful
and Equitable Future
Material World
An interactive and sustainably-built pop-up exhibition educating students on the impacts of environmentally and socially sustainable design methods and materials, with the goal of empowering them to act as agents of change in their professional careers and personal lives.
Welcome to Material World
●
Welcome to Material World ●
This website is a biography of my sustainably designed and built pop-up exhibition, Material World: Design for a Healthful and Equitable Future. Radical transparency is a primary goal of the project. In other words, I want to share openly about the process of developing the exhibit, including successes, failures, shortcomings, and points of improvement. The motivation for doing so is twofold: first, to avoid greenwashing the exhibit, and second, to share resources for others to learn about sustainability and sustainable design.
Sustainability is a process. It takes dedication to continually improve, and honest communication about efforts for sustainability is crucial for improvement. The Material World website shares methods, information on materials, images, evaluations of the exhibit, and resources I found helpful.
Concept and
Design Development
My work on Material World included researching sustainability and greenwashing, developing a design document, selecting materials, budgeting, designing the structure, applying for grants, writing the exhibit text, creating graphics, fabricating the exhibit, and putting it all together at the end.
Material Deep Dives
Formaldehyde-Free Plywood
The main structure of Material World consists of plywood pieces that were cut on the CNC machine. Each piece slots together to form an interlocking structure that holds together without hardware and packs flat when not in use. Most plywood and medium-density-fiberboard panels are glued together with binders that contain formaldehyde, threatening human health. I chose formaldehyde-free plywood to avoid these harms.
Mycelium
Even before I started designing Material World, I knew I wanted to grow mycelium. Initially, I imagined an entire exhibit made of mycelium. However, constraints on time — each mycelium panel in my exhibit took two weeks to fully grow and finish —resulted in a quick switch to smaller scale mycelium growth. In Material World, there are seven panels made of mycelium, each grown in a plywood mold, dried in a homemade oven, and finished with soft wax.
Organic Cotton Canvas
The fabric used in my exhibit is Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified 100% organic cotton. GOTS is a voluntary standard that requires textile manufacturers to adhere to environmental and social responsibility standards in their supply chains. GOTS certifications are verified by an independent third party. Each text banner in the exhibit uses this cotton canvas as a base. The text was screenprinted using recycled ink at a zero-waste screenprinting company.
Locally-Sourced Natural Wood
I use two live edge aspen boards in Material World. The lumber was sourced locally from the University of Connecticut Forest and highlights the natural beauty of the material. Wood sourced from the UConn Forest is sustainably harvested by UConn Forestry, milled by students as an educational opportunity, and often dried in a solar-powered kiln.
Finishes
Material World contains a variety of finishes, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. These finishes are: milk paint; hemp oil; soft wax; homemade steel wool and vinegar stain; and PolyWhey.
Resources
I found many useful resources while working on Material World.
Credits
Material World was designed and built by me, Cameron Slocum. I am a designer working at the intersection of spatial experiences and interactive media. I recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BFA in Art (Industrial Design), a BA in Digital Media and Design, and a minor in French. You can learn more about me at my website, cameronslocum.com.
The project was funded in part by an Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grant, provided by the University of Connecticut Institute of the Environment and Office of Sustainability. Additional funding was provided by a Change Grant through the UConn Co-op Legacy Fellowship. The exhibit also received support from the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History.
Special thanks to my mentor, Chris Sancomb, and to everyone at the University of Connecticut who supported me in the creation of the Material World exhibit and website, including: Bianca Ibarlucea, Gary Krewson, and John O’Donnell (Art and Art History); Beth Barbeau, Janine Caira, Erin Kuprewicz, and Mel Stinnett (Connecticut State Museum of Natural History); Tom Scheinfeldt (Digital Media and Design); Shareen Hertel (Political Science and Human Rights); and Melissa Berkey and John Harbison (Office of Undergraduate Research).