The Aesthetic of Waste - an investigation of the creative & commercial potential of kiln cast re-cycled mineral waste.

Project Summary

The overall aims of this research are: to investigate recycled mineral based waste materials; explore how they might be combined within a thermal casting process for the development of material with unique aesthetic qualities; to examine the creative and commercial potential of the material for architects, designers, artists and craft makers.
The Research Team aims to develop materials - from predominantly re-cycled, mineral waste - that may be used for making products such as interior and exterior wall tiles/cladding, flooring, bricks, urban street furniture, sculptural objects and utilitarian wares.
The scope of the project will span the entire R&D process, from investigating sources of waste raw materials to investigating potential creative applications and opportunities for manufacturing.

The project proposal is entirely untested and speculative in nature. The research question has however grown out of existing research interests of the Research Team and market research, combined with a recognition of the importance of eco-responsible 'design-led' manufacturing.

Issues justifying the research project:

* Market research that clearly demonstrates a demand for new materials that offer architects, designers, artists, craft-makers and consumers innovative creative opportunities and solutions;

* Concern that the ever-growing desire for new materials and products is placing un-sustainable demands on the exploitation of mineral resources (this has led the Research Team to consider how, re-cycled mineral waste, might be used to replace virgin raw materials within the production of products that both add value to existing waste raw materials and have an intrinsic aesthetic beauty);

* Belief in the notion that the inherent aesthetic properties of a material may provide the focus of visual interest, i.e. what extends through the entire core of the material is seen on the surface.

The project seeks to extend the narratives of surface, form and material, thus extending the visual vocabulary and creative possibilities of eco-friendly materials. The applied research will combine quantitative, empirical material investigation with practice-led qualitative exploration of creative applications.

The core Research Team comprises of an artist/designer and materials scientist, with additional support from industrial and HEI collaborative partners. Drawing on the knowledge and research experience of both investigators, the Team believe the project provides a dynamic and exciting opportunity to bridge the often unconnected research communities of art, science and industry.

Extensive investigation by the research team has found no evidence of either existing research or products that exploit the aesthetic potential of recycled glass combined with other mineral waste materials within a hot casting process.

The speculative nature of this project is, therefore, based around the hypothesis that it should be possible to combine mineral-based waste material, with re-cycled waste glass, to form large sheets (or forms) of a unique aesthetic quality, which can:
* be applied within a variety of creative contexts;
* add value to recycled waste;
* be appropriate for industrial production with significant commercial potential.