Material researcher and designer Zoe Powell takes us through the importance of recording your material experimentation in Distributed Design
The tools of Distributed Design are ambivalent to the materials put in them.
Proprietary or industrial standard sheets, filaments and blocks can be replaced by materials that we can find and make locally.
When creating or using new materials we need to be able to repeat our results. The purpose of this toolkit is to introduce the designer to basic scientific recording techniques.
These tools are not only useful in material testing but in all experimentation within design.
Take inspiration from the work of Zoe Powell to develop experimental practice.
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Zoē Powell Best is a Materials Researcher, multi-disciplinary Designer-Maker and Workshop Facilitator.
Since 2008, she has worked on research and community-driven projects internationally for a variety of industries including packaging, interiors, textiles and art. The focus of her work is centred around creatively using resources, circular design strategies and production techniques both digital and hand crafted.
Currently, Zoe is Project Lead on ‘Future Matters’, a cross-continental biomaterial collaboration between Johannesburg based Big Circle Studios and for open source platform Materiom, who are working to prototype new models for a community-led circular economy.
She is an Advisory Board member for the British Council Creative Hubs, an ambassador for Material Science working group DiscoverMaterials and 4th member of Uruguayan research collective Simbióticas Lab.
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{% tab title="To Do" %}
- Read this section top to bottom first
- Do the Lab book activity
- Explore the resources and downloadable files {% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
{% tabs %} {% tab title="Overview" %}
{% embed url="https://drive.google.com/file/d/15CKc7MwH709yGm2h6spXHce0lnXm5pss/view?usp=sharing" %} {% endtab %}
{% tab title="Lab book" %} A lab book is a notebook that is used to record research that you have done i.e. primary research (as opposed to research that others have done, secondary research) {% endtab %}
{% tab title="Set up" %} The set-up refers to your lab space… or the space you are using to conduct your experiments or work in. It could be your studio space, co-working office or even your kitchen. {% endtab %}
{% tab title="Tools" %} A tool is a utensil, implement or device that is generally used by hand in order to carry out a particular function. You can get electronic tools, carpenters’ hardware, scientific apparatus and even kitchen utensils are classed as tools. You might get specialised tools like sewing machines which can also be known as equipment. {% endtab %}
{% tab title="Experiment" %} An experiment is an official or established way of discovering or testing or demonstrating something, with the aim to show if a hypothesis about it is true or false… or needs further research and experimentation. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %}
{% embed url="https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lpCl8A4=?invite_link_id=762418024056" %}
{% embed url="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jV0dGo17nP0PIfFKJhOTmdzR92W1ubSQ/view?usp=sharing" %}
Here are 5 variations of lab book templates. These were inspired by real examples of lab book pages and digital templates. (Special thank you to Matthew Edwards, Mathew Gale and Tshepo Mangoele for sharing their lab book pages)
{% embed url="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NyVKRAcrNu1z-9A0SX3lfJPkGpvf8VKI/view?usp=sharing" %}
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{% embed url="https://www.bigcirclestudios.com/african-circularity-database" %} A pan-African database of circular and sustainable projects. Inputs include indigenous, generational, current, and futurist projects from a range of sectors. {% endembed %}
{% embed url="https://www.discovermaterials.uk" %} Discover Materials is a collaboration between a group of UK Universities' Materials Science Departments, the Henry Royce Institute for advanced materials and other members of the materials science community. {% endembed %}
{% embed url="https://www.instagram.com/simbioticas_lab" %} Colectivo de diseñadoras e investigadoras de materiales fomentamos el desarrollo de una nueva cultura material, de diseño sustentable y biodiseño 🌿 {% endembed %}
{% embed url="https://distributeddesign.eu/awards/entries/biobox-steamhouse-x-materiom" %} A disruptive approach to materials science and circle design, developing accessible open source data. {% endembed %}
{% embed url="https://regendistricts.com/home" %} Regen Districts aims to build a network of local creatives and businesses to help establish a creative and regenerative circular economy in Thailand, enabling the sourcing of biomass from organic waste to develop local biodegradable artefacts/crafts/designs {% endembed %}
{% embed url="https://materiom.org/search" %} Materiom provides open source recipes and data on materials made from abundant sources of natural ingredients, like agricultural waste. By making this knowledge open, we accelerate materials development and lower barriers to entry in materials markets around the world. {% endembed %}
{% embed url="https://www.circulardesignguide.com" %} The Circular Design Guide is a collaboration between the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and IDEO {% endembed %}
{% embed url="http://www.textiletoolbox.com/resources" %} Textile Toolbox is TED’s web platform project for MISTRA Future Fashion {% endembed %}
{% embed url="https://textile-academy.org" %} Fabricademy is a transdisciplinary course that focuses on the development of new technologies applied in the textile industry, in its broad range of applications, from the fashion industry and the upcoming wearable market. {% endembed %} {% endtab %}
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{% tab title="Templates" %} {% file src="../.gitbook/assets/ZBP - Lab Book - Layouts x5.pdf" %}
{% file src="../.gitbook/assets/biomaterial lab template_nina havermans.pdf" %} This template was contributed and created by Nina who uses it for her own research as well as during workshops with students {% endfile %}
{% file src="../.gitbook/assets/BioBox Lab Sheet.pdf" %} This is the original BioBox template. It was first used to record experiments by participants taking part during the pandemic {% endfile %}
{% file src="../.gitbook/assets/LBBK .pdf" %}
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