Rhode Island School of Design's Department of Furniture Design to Present Recyclable Composites at International Contemporary Furniture Fair
Students to Showcase Work at the Jacob Javits Convention Center
May 14-17, 2011
Booth 1780
655 West 34th Street
New York, NY
With sunken, web-like chairs and light fixtures evoking the slot canyons of the American Southwest, Recyclable Composites puts the work of 12 RISD students on display, pushing the boundaries of design while directly addressing issues of sustainability.
Recyclable Composites showcases innovative applications of advanced composites in new contexts. Existing composites rely heavily on irreversible resins, which cannot be recycled. Twintex®, a commingled glass and thermoplastic polypropylene fiber filament, is solidified by a reversible heat treatment. Twintex® products are thermoplastic composites which can be recycled. Therefore, they present an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional composites.
Through a rigorous developmental research process students explored the material Twintex® beyond its conventional use to create dynamic furniture and lighting fixtures. These explorations, while highlighting the potential of recyclable composites, are pushing the boundaries of both design and customary manufacturing techniques. Recyclable Composites manifests the Furniture Design Department’s commitment to research, innovation and sustainability as key pedagogical areas of focus. read more >>
Alexandra Snook, MFA 2011 Furniture Design
Saddle Stool
Twintex® is a thread of sorts, so I initially examined the ways in which we use conventional threads and yarn – sewing, crocheting and knitting.
When I was six years old, my grandmother taught me to knit; I went to her house after school and we would knit together on an old grey wool couch. Knitting was always kept separate from my work as a designer, but working with Twintex® excited me to finally incorporate it into my furniture. Since Twintex® has the unique feature of hardening through baking, I was able to use knitting in a more structural way than would otherwise be possible in creating Saddle Stool.