2012
author
Mateusz Przybysz (PL)
title
Small architectural pieces from readily available industrial and farm waste
degree
B.A. project
e-mail
school
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
supervisor
Wojciech Małolepszy
Straw is a remarkably useful natural material whose national resources are not fully used –overproduction reaches 8–13 million tons annually. It is used in farming (feed, litters), construction (thatch, insulating material), and even for the production of bio‑fuels. Apart from these very practical applications of straw, there are also less utilitarian uses – as for various kinds of decorative crafts, such as Christmas‑tree ornaments. It is somewhere at the crossroads of the practical and the aesthetic that we might position this project of simple straw seats designed for public spaces. Two cube‑shaped modules can function separately, like tables of various sizes. The uniform wave of the surfaces allows them to be securely placed on top of one another. When turned over, the smaller module can be leaned against. The oval openings in the sides make it easy to move. The designer has applied an interesting production method: the molds for the straw are pushed from the inside by an inflatable core. The proposed binder – urea glue – allows the six‑sided modules to be burned after a season’s use. It seems that the designer’s solutions, in terms of the material – the shaping, and binding of this short‑lived (seasonal) product, and its natural usage are meant to bring the user closer to nature.