After crafting and experimenting with the different bioplastics I discovered some interesting properties.

The cornstarch bioplastic is very sticky and wet, even after a week. I figured that adding less glycerin into the mixture will create a more rigid plastic. Because of the clear look en flexible properties, it can be used for toys or a replacement for rubber in machines.

The agar agar plastic was very popular by my cat. She loved to sniff and play with it. Adding catnip to the plastic can make a fun cat toy!

The gelatin bioplastic was the most brittle and rigid of the bioplastics I've made. It can be used to make sculptures, or glass-in-led.

ssignment 0 - with the entire group

Produce a class zine on the RISO printer together, 2 people will be editors this week. Individual contributions in the form of zine spreads.

Assignment 1 - individual

Dive into the world of biobased plastic and speculate about future applications using the Material Driven Design Method. The assignment of this week is to make your own bioplastics and use the Material Driven Design (MDD)-method to come up with future applications.

(source : DLO)

Making bioplastics at home

For this week's assignment, we are working from home to produce and discover different kinds of bioplastics.

The materials we are using to produce bioplastics are :

• glycerine

• gelatine

• agar agar

• water

• cornstarch (maizena)

Each of these materials have different properties. Glycerine adds viscosity and thickness to bioplastics. Water merges the materials together. Both water en glycerine are required for all of the recipes for bioplastics.

Recipe 1 - cornstarch with cayenne pepper

For my first try at bioplastics I made a combination of cornstarch and cayenne pepper, to create a glossy, fire red color. I used the following recipe:

• glycerine - 20 gram

• cornstarch - 2 gram

• water - 80 ml

• white vinegar - 15 ml

• cayenne pepper - 1 tablespoon

I threw all the ingredients in a pot on medium heat. I kept stirring and cooking the mixture for 10 minutes.

When it was cooked for 10 minutes, I poured everything in the plastic containers we got from Sam. The end result looks like this:

After a couple of minutes, a skin started to develop on top of the plastic. When I touch it, it feels wet and bouncy. It smells a little bit sour.

Recipe 2 - agar agar with sesame seeds

For the next recipe, I wanted to combine the nice fragrance of the agar agar with sesame seeds. I want this bioplastic to be more rigid than the previous one, so I decided to add less glycerine in the recipe. I used :

• glycerine - 1 gram

• water - 40 ml

• agar agar - 1.6 gram

• sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon

Again, I added everything in a pot and turned the heat on medium. Unlike the previous recipe with cornstarch, you have to remove the mixture from the heat when it starts to boil and become viscous. I poured the mixture in a plastic cup, and this is the end result:

After only a few minutes, the plastic is already very rigid and hard. It smells really sweet. You can press your finger into it, and it will bounce back very quickly.

Recipe 3 - gelatine with dill

When I opened the bag of gelatine, I noticed a weird and uncomfortable smell. I thought it would be a great idea to add another weird smell to it, so I decided to add dill. It also gives a nice color, so that's a bonus.

I used:

• gelatine - 15 gram

• glycerine - 4 gram

• water - 60 ml

• dill - 4 good sprinkles

When I was cooking the mixture, a strange smell was spreading in my house. When it started to come to a boil, I removed it from the heat and put it in the plastic container.

The gelatine and dill bioplastic showed a lot of bubbles when it was cooling, so maybe I let it become too hot. The mixture cooled down fairly slow, it took 15 minutes to form a skin on top of it. It doesn't have pleasant smell, like I intended. It is bouncy when you press your finger into it.

End results

After drying for three weeks, the bioplastics ended up very differently from each other. The agar agar bioplastic curled up and became very stirdy. The gelatine bioplastic became very hard, and a lot of it evaporated. The cornstarch bioplastic is very flimsy and still feels wet.

Isa helps me out to describe her sensory and interpretive impressions about the bioplastics I crafted. As reference, I used the Ma2E4 Toolkit worksheets.

In the video below, Isa is discovering the bioplastics for the first time.

Corn Starch & Cayenne Pepper

Sensorial level

Interpretive level

Isa describes this as sticky, wet and unpleasant.

Meanings of the material:

• Calm

• Aloof

• Vulgar

• Frivolous

• Nostalgic

• Feminine

• Strange

• Not sexy

• Natural

• Manufactured

Affective level

• Love

• Amusement

• Surprise

• Reluctance

• Enchantment

• Rejection

• Disgust

• Melancholy

• Distrust

• Doubt

Agar agar & sesame seeds

Sensorial level

Interpretive level

Isa describes this as smooth and rough at the same time. It is also heavier than the first one.

Meanings of the material:

• Calm

• Cosy

• Elegant

• Frivolous

• Nostalgic

• Feminine

• Strange

• Toy-like

• Natural

• Hand-crafted

Affective level

• Love

• Amusement

• Surprise

• Confidence

• Enchantment

• Respect

• Attraction

• Curiosity

• Fascination

• Comfort

Gelatine & dill

Sensorial level

Interpretive level

Isa describes this as the smoothest of the three bioplastics. She likes the color and feel.

Meanings of the material:

• Calm

• Cosy

• Elegant

• Frivolous

• Nostalgic

• Feminine

• Strange

• Toy-like

• Natural

• Hand-crafted

Affective level

• Love

• Amusement

• Surprise

• Confidence

• Enchantment

• Respect

• Attraction

• Curiosity

• Fascination

• Comfort