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    Midterm Project Documentation for Jewelry Set:

Final results from my matching jewelry set in the gallery:

                   

Project Title: “Trash Flow“

Project Statement:

The idea behind “Trash Flow” is by the ocean and for the ocean. It is an exploration of the severity of the waste presently in our oceans and the toxic materials that pollute its fauna and flora. With the symbolism of the ship’s steering wheel and the fishing nets in the earrings, I illustrate the degree of water contamination through nautical elements. However, it is important to start small, in order to make a big impact. The usage of university-held event posters from our very own NYU Shanghai hallways in the creation of the necklace, illustrates the need for involvement and awareness of the importance of proper trash disposal and limited resource waste.

Design and production/Description of creative process:

In the beginning of my brainstorming for the midterm project, I knew i wanted to create a fun and eye-catching piece that had a deeper environmental message behind it. In my search for materials for my project, I used only materials I found in the NYUSH building, mainly from the IMA labs on the 8th floor, as well as from the cafeteria and recycled trash containers all around the school.

As a main theme of my midterm, I wanted to educate the NYUSH community about the pollution in oceans and seas, as well as the daily waste that students contribute to in the academic building itself.

I collected pieces of cloth, blue thread, 2 plastic chips can lids, metal wire and cookies plastic packaging in an attempt to create a jewelry set. I also used discarded multicolor wires from the IMA lab on the 8th floor, which I twisted into one piece, as decoration for my earrings. For the necklace, I used posters from the event boards arounds school (for events that had already passed) and tape, as well as the same discarded wires and thread which I used for the earrings.

          

                   

How the wearable was constructed:

All items used for the earrings and necklace were chosen from trash around campus to show that almost all plastic, paper and cloth waste can be reused or “upcycled” to create something new, without the need of creating anew product or utilizing fresh resources.

Necklace: The necklace was constructed mainly with event posters I found around the NYUSH academic building (for events that had already passed). I cut the posters in a color theme similar to that of the earrings (red, blue, yellow). The posters were cut into 2 sets of different size cutouts which I twisted around a recycled paper straw I found in the cafeteria to give each of the pieces a uniform shape. Then I pasted the paper tubes together using tape and I arranged them in a symmetrical way so that there would be equal number of tubes on each side. Then I saw that one of the posters had a beautiful dragon design on it and I decided to use this in my piece, placing it on the top to conceal the tape of the tubes.

                

Earrings:  I used the chips can lids as the base of the earrings. Then I cut the bottom part of the cookies container and pasted it with tape to the lid. Then I placed the colorful, twisted wires on the border of the lid and attached them with tape to the plastic cookie packaging. Afterwards, I wrapped the blue woolen yarn around the earrings in a star pattern, which I once again attached with tape. Then I cut circles from the plastic bags I collected, with random patterns which I pasted on the center of the earrings to tie the whole piece together. 

To create the earrings hole for attaching to the ears, I twisted a metal wire I found in room 823 and pushed it through a whole I made in the yellow chips lit. Finally, I found a rather interesting piece of cloth in the IMA lab, which was a white lace-like material with holes. It worked nicely as the final touch to the piece, which gave the jewelry a dainty feel. Lastly, I recreated the same process to create a second earring, using the same materials and process of creation.

   

 

     

 Research:

Links I used for my research on the effects of plastic on marine life:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/

https://www.pegasusfoundation.org/the-effect-of-plastic-pollution-on-marine-life/

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/09/24/plastic-pollution-affects-sea-life-throughout-the-ocean

https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/toxic-ecosystems-the-impact-of-plastic-on-marine-life/

Images that illustrate the issue of water pollution:

 

 

 

Statistics of the severity of the issue:

Synopsis of my research:

• According to the United Nations, at least 800 species worldwide are affected by marine debris, and as much as 80 percent of that litter is plastic.
• Up to 13 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year—the equivalent of a rubbish or garbage truck load’s worth every minute. Fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris, causing suffocation, starvation, and drowning. 
•  Half of sea turtles worldwide have ingested plastic.
• Some starve after doing so, mistakenly believing they have eaten enough because their stomachs are full. On many beaches, plastic pollution is so pervasive that it is affecting turtles’ reproduction rates by altering the temperatures of the sand where incubation occurs.
• Plastic waste can encourage the growth of pathogens in the ocean. Corals that come into contact with plastic have an 89 percent chance of contracting disease, compared with a 4 percent likelihood for corals that do not.

 

Significance and inspiration  behind the creation:

My midterm project will include pieces of plastic and cloth waste with a central theme around the Earth’s oceans. Each of the materials for the creation of my earrings represent a main pollutant of our oceans-plastic lids, plastic packaging, cloth fragments, metal wires. I believe a project such as mine can easily be reproduced as a large-scale business and will serve as a trendy, yet socially responsible accessory since its creation requires items that would have previously been considered trash.

Necklace:The necklace represents the waste from the NYUSH student body that is produced on a daily basis and signifies the impact that each and every student can have an immense impact in the reduction of overall waste on campus. The usage of student event posters illustrates the idea that each student is responsible for the trash that they produce and must play an active role in reducing his or her waste on campus. The discarded wires from the IMA lab reflect the impact of the student labs in campus, where there is a daily usage of new wires for IMA projects, while piles of slightly used wires are thrown away.From excessive printing to the wasteful usage of IMA equipment and resources, the necklace is more than a statement fashion piece, it is a warning that trash is all around us and that it is our responsibility to be mindful of our waste contribution.

 

Earrings: The lacy cloth on top of the earrings is meant to allude to the discarded fishing nets that marine life often get entangled in and unfortunately result in fatalities. Lastly, the shape and symmetrical design of the earrings represent a ship’s wheel and the colors are chosen to compliment an overall nautical theme. The earrings are also composed of textile, paper and plastic waste found around campus, however they are a symbolic piece that centers around the issue with the pollution of our oceans and the frightening outlook for the future of our planet.

 

Collecting the necessary materials and producing my wearable:

I will be using materials i find in the IMA labs such as fabrics, plastic pieces and wire, as well as plastic bottles that I have previously purchased.

          

Conclusion:

The goals of my project were to educate the NYUSH student body about the waste produced on campus, as well as the immense amount of waste in our oceans. In addition to creating a rather appealing and colorful jewelry set, I believe that I satisfied the goals of my project. After engaging with my peers and showing them my creation, they stated that my message was clear and delivered in a creative and attractive way. The difficulties encountered during the creation if this project was time management and the finding of appropriate materials. However, I believe that the IMA labs, as well as multiple locations on campus provided the necessary plastic, cardboard and binding materials (thread, wire, glue, tape) to complete my vision. My desire for people viewing the jewelry set was to spark their curiosity about its meaning and educate them in an interactive way about the issue of the pollution of our oceans, which I believe was successfully accomplished. From the creative process involved in this project, I learned that people do indeed care about the pressing climate issues we are currently faced with and actively seek out ways to get involved, especially in the NYUSH community. This gave me hope that change is indeed possible and that the younger generation is not oblivious to the high degree of plastic pollution. If i were to make further changes to my project, I would expand the collection to include matching clothing and/or more accessory items, since I believe that art should make a statement and art from trash, in particular, has the very important task of not only inspiring, but also educating.

 

Name: Mehr Un Nisa Javed

Date:22nd Oct’2019

Professor: Marcela Godoy 

“What you wear is a part of your identity, and identity is, well, pretty darn political.”

Title for the Project:  “We love Our Pakistani Clothes”

The inspiration for my midterm project arose from the idea that after organizing my closet, half my possessions lie stacked on the floor like a molehill and the only question on my mind is: what do I do with this pile of unwanted clothes?. Therefore, this time around I decided I needed to branch out to other alternatives. From the previous weeks readings I found out the worst truth that is PLASTIC is choking the sea animals and polluting the oceans/seas entirely. This had been pretty disturbing for me from a long time therefore, I had made up from the very beginning to be a change maker. 

Thus, I realized that I am not the only one but typically most of us in Pakistan almost do the same thing and that is stacking up our closets and not moving towards sustainable ways. Thus, I tried to take a initiative of making a Pakistani styled shirt which would set an inspiration for the fellow Pakistani artists and designers because no such thing as making clothes out of TRASH has been developed yet in Pakistan. 

Materials I used: These are based on the trash which is produced most in Pakistan. 

Plastic Sac because we have these sacs a lot in Pakistan because it is an agrarian economy and we used these sacs for potatoes and other vegetables. Thus, I have seen these sacs all my life. 

Plastic tape 

Plastic Bag and its handle 

paper/plastic mix materials for Pakistani styled dupatta

trashed embroidery 

sewing machine 

needles 

Then, I did more research on this and the need to build up this project and I found out that; 

The industry, driven by fast fashion, has steadily become one of the most serious polluters in the world. Clothing manufacture was never exactly tidy, what with toxic dyes, copious amounts of water needed for growing fiber and processing fabrics, and waste from factories. But in 2015, carbon emissions from clothes surpassed those emitted from all international flights and all maritime shipping combined. Cotton, for example, uses more pesticides than any other crop—and organic cotton takes up more land and much more water than conventionally grown cotton. At the same time, clothes are worn for less time than they ever have been previously. Every year, 12.7 million tons of textiles enter American landfills; in 2015 in the UK, 300,000 tons of clothes went in, about ten pounds per person. Giving old clothes to charity isn’t the charitable act you might think it is—many of the clothes made today are of such poor quality that they cannot be sold again.

 

 

“Reclaim”

The premise of reclaim is to spotlight the flaws within the fashion and plastics industry – both of which are some of the most polluting businesses globally. “Reclaim” – similar to my project proposal was to create wearable garments created entirely out of recycled materials and embroidering them to tell a story. The garment should be as wearable and as ‘beautiful’ as I can make it – breaking stereotypes that garments made from trash should look like it was made from trash (lol).

Research

1. The research phase was primarily spent on researching Native Chinese plants and designs
2. Transforming images to illustrator vectors
3. Vectors to artboards on the embroidery software
4. Learning via trial and error how to embroider plastics (if it was even viable)
5. Viable silhouettes from the recycled materials (is it sewable?)
6. How do the materials move with the body? 
7. Making Patterns/Cutting
8. Sewing it all together! 
9. Fittings~
10. Final Product/Edits!

Sample Images: 

Inspirations 

The fashion industry has slowly but surely been incorporating plastic as a textile, but to what degree are we sensationalizing single-use plastics and is it more harmful than using synthetic fabrics? These are the types of questions that I want my audience to ask. I wanted to keep the integrity of my materials as in-tact as possible – making sure to use original straps, clasps, zippers, and etc. 

 

The Midterm Project 

 

Research and Inspiration 

In June 2018, the University of Georgia published a study based on data from the United Nations that predicted that 110 million tons of plastic waste would be homeless in the world by 2030.
What does it mean to be homeless in international waste?

This is because China, which has been a major importer of plastic waste in the past 20 years, has stopped importing foreign waste for environmental protection since 2018.
In the past 25 years, nearly half of the world’s non-industrial plastic waste has been shipped to China.
From 1996 to 2016, the import and export volume of plastic waste in various countries was grayish and the export was light green. Data after 2016 is an estimate by the University of Georgia scholars based on United Nations data. China is the 7th country on the right.

According to the study published in Science Advances, China imported 7.35 million tons of plastic waste in 2016, accounting for 52% of the total global plastic waste. If you count Hong Kong, China, the figure will reach 72%.
Plastic bottles are food-grade PET, which can actually be used to make polyester fiber, or chemical fiber, PET fiber, polyester, non-woven fabric, and indeed. The China Plastics Association Expert Committee stated that 98% of the plastic bottles in Beijing were recycled and mainly flowed to the textile industry after recycling.

According to the American Chemical Society, plastic bags are generally made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and cannot be used to make polyester fibers.
These materials are recyclable, but plastic bags are often dirty and difficult to clean and reuse, and can block the line or be blended into other useful recycled materials. It should be known that if the classified recycled materials contain more than 0.5% of impurities, they will not be sold at a good price, so the plastic bags will be rejected by the recycling stations and will eventually be thrown out into garbage that no one wants.

Some experts pointed out that the clothes made from recycled plastic bottles are the source of micro-plastic pollution.

Mark Browne, an ecologist and postdoctoral researcher at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, Calif., has studied plastic contamination and microfiber for nearly 10 years. He explained that synthetic fiber garments would lose a lot of plastic fibers when subjected to spin and cycle rinsing in a washing machine. Most washing machines do not have a filter to capture these tiny microfibers, and the sewage treatment plant cannot completely remove these tiny contaminants.

According to a study by the University of California, a city with a population of 100,000 people, about 110 kilograms of microfiber per day through the washing machine 

into natural water, is equivalent to throwing away 15,000 plastic bags.
According to a study by the University of California, a city with a population of 100,000 people, about 110 kilograms of microfiber per day through the washing machine into natural water, is equivalent to throwing away 15,000 plastic bags.

My inspirations are from the Chinese super country model who got a hit on Tiktok. He used big plastic bogs to make his own fashional clothes. So I think maybe I could use the plastic bags I could find in my life to make a clock ”in fashion“ by my self

The Process

The Materials I Selected from my life。

Cut the shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And make the hat.

 

Put together plastic sheets.

Here is the final work.

Project Inspiration

Nicole Gdula: created a tote bag by using the ironing plastics method

Issey Miyake: I really like the geometric style of his bag designs

 

Material + Methods Influence

• I referenced Nicole Gdula’s bag for the sewing technique of creating a bag since this was my first time trying to create a wearable from scratch. This included sewing the sides and bottom of two sheets of fabric together before flipping them inside out so that the seams aren’t visible.
• Professor Marcela introduced me to Up-Fuse, who also use the iron technique to create bags. I was originally planning on sewing geometric patterns on top of my bag, but the Up-Fuse bags simply fused different color plastic layers on top, which made a lot more sense.
• The ironing experiment we did in class was very helpful in guiding the temperature I used to fuse the plastic together.
• Since I was using the ironing technique, I wanted to use plastic bags. I also really liked the idea of using plastic bags to create another more durable bag. The plastic material I ended up using, however, came pretty much entirely from the plastic packaging that holds non-fragile products that are being delivered. The reason for this was because I wanted the base color to be black, and in an effort to match types of plastics when fusing, this same kind of packaging plastic was consistently used for different colors as well.
• In terms of material collection, I used some plastic packaging found around in the classroom from what people brought in, as well as from my trash stash I was collecting in my apartment (that I keep in anticipation for any projects for this class, haha).

 

Environmental Facts Research

In my capstone paper I explore the effectiveness of environmental activist art in influencing its audience’s behavior. One study, conducted by Sommer and Klöckner, finds that works that have the most potential to inspire proenvironmental behavior are ones that, rather than only focusing on raising awareness for a problem, also offer a solution for that problem. One piece of artwork that fell into this category was Cicia Hartmann’s Mur Vegetal, a large flower wall made from upcycled material.

What made this work successful was that it showed that waste could be produced into something beautiful, serving as an inspiration for others to do the same. Hence, with this midterm project the goal was to make the bag as nice as possible (with my beginner wearable crafting skills) to show that plastic material can indeed be transformed, and serve as inspiration for what people can do with their plastic waste.

Name: Mehr Un Nisa Javed

Date:16th Oct’2019

Professor: Marcela Godoy

Objective: Give the proposal for the midterm project and reflection on the workshop

Midterm proposal

For the midterm I want to make a dress but specially focusing on my cultural dress- Pakistani dress as it would represent my culture and also, would be helpful for me in the future because I want to do recycling in the Pakistani Industry as no one in my country has every worked on it on a large scale and I would want to work as a designer and help to save our environment starting from my very own country. 

Therefore, I would start with designing a wearable but that would be Pakistani Kurta style. The Kurt will be mainly made up of plastic as Pakistan and trash bags because PAKISTAN is a developing country and has a lot of waste management issues. The maximum usage there is of plastic because people are not really aware of the bad effects of the plastic due to low literacy rate and low encouragement by the government to decrease the usage of plastic and move towards sustainability. Recently, in the capital of Pakistan plastic was banned but still the policy was eloped without almost no implementation so this project will HIGHLIGHT the issue and my Kurt will have the logo “Reuse, Recycle” for creating awareness. 

Reflection on the workshop: 

I have already posted my outcome of the workshop in the last post by me but here I would like to just add on it and write that it was a really fun and interesting way to tackle with plastic however, I made a few mistakes which I need to overcome such as being careful with the iron as its hot, always use a cloth to put underneath, being careful with putting the cray paper on top of the plastic when closing the machine and finally, working on the edges. 

Name: Eva Solo

Date:  09/10/19 

Professor: Marcela Godoy 

” 塑料是我的保护 ” (Sùliào shì wǒ de bǎohù) –  Plastic is My Protection

[brief starting statement: Continuing the conversation with 余, as well as observing other trash collector in my complex, I drew the link between plastic as a raw material (that we discard) and the financial stability it provides during their second lifetime in the hands of the workers. On the most simplified level: I want to utilise plastic to create a big coat in the symbolism of protection.]

In the article Why good design comes from bad design the quotation “I don’t know what a good idea looks like until I’ve seen the bad ones” could have come at a better time. When I began considering my Trash Wearable I quickly was drawn to one specific way of designing the item, and then I read the article – just like the narrator emphasised polishing his best candidate for their pitch – I too realised I’m a few dozen trail design ideas away from my final product (witch, of course, will continue to evolve in the production stages). I took my initial inspiration and began ideating further. I jotted down as many ideas as I could brainstorm on paper, no mater how ridiculous or ‘impossible’ they seemed. The point of this step was to break the walls of my comfort and potentially come up with something I have not considered ever before. 

This is that page:

I recently was able to visit the Long Museum and see Mark Bradford’s exhibition. He uses paper-mache to create very large scale pieces that are his response to the society he embraces. The commentary  conveyed the extent  personal association to his life, and I could really feel the emotions he was portraying. This further lead me to dive deeper in to the questions “What does this represent for me? / What do I want the users to take away from the viewing? / How does this fit into my community (neighbourhood, school, peers) ”

I was especially drawn to the texture and colour scheme for this piece, and will be drawing inspiration on the aesthetics in my midterm project.

Taking the advice from Why good design comes from bad design I sketched out an array of different possibilities drawing from my brainstorming page:

 

From the text Design Is The Problem, I spotted the quotation “Consumers often rely on assumptions that companies they trust—especially, large, known companies—wouldn’t sell such goods, but this assumption is often a mistake” and realised that I myself fall into this category. How much research do I do before I make an online purchase? Or an impulse one at the store? As stated in the text different communities value vary different priorities, especially when it comes to consumption. Are we to blame for the society we have been born to? I would say no, but we are responsible how we chose to behave which very much involves the funding of large corporations trying to milk our money. We cannot take the financial factor out of the equations no matter how hard we try, which means the approach needs to be changed towards the idea of sustainability, spreading awareness, and most importantly consumption. It is unlikely for the whole world to change over night, but for those with the knowledge setting an example is the least we can do. Learning how media, NGOs, stakeholders, and trade associations all fit into the environmental conversation is a new concept for me and still seems slightly complex to fully grasp. It is easy to go from one extreme to another (taking me as an example: not knowing anything and behaving purely out of instinct when consuming and discarding / and now feeling very strongly about where I spend my money and how I discard my waste ) but I really liked the idea of balance that was brought up in the reading. I think this concept can apply to individual approach also, I would not expect a very wasteful person to suddenly become sustainable, but taking small steps every day, every week, every month could formulate new habits and in turn influence the immediate circle of that particular individual. I have seen how my subtle efforts around the apartment has influenced my flatmates to also place their cans separately, turn lights off in the vacant rooms, and one of them actually started using a reusable water bottle. I think this was successful because I was not aggressive, but genuinely shared my new approach to little change, and how that not only affects me but ur shared world as well.

Workshop Key Takeaways: 

To best get an idea of how to fuse plastics, my partner and I dove right in. We wanted the experiment to be, well, experimental! We wanted to make mistakes and learn from these mistakes. We used a variety of plastics and tried to fuse them to create ‘something’. 

Mistake #1 – THE IRON IS HOT. 

Each plastic material melted and fused in different temperatures. We tried to fuse plastics that had different weights and widths which can be both a good and bad characteristic – you just have to make sure that you are ironing each plastic mindfully. The iron was so hot that it melted some plastic while thicker material stayed intact and needed more heat. 

Mistake #2 – Corners & Edges 

We tried to create a pocket or wallet with 3 fused corners and one opening. In order to test the integrity of the fusion, we filled the pocket with water but later found that the corners leaked. Our mistake was that each corner had the most plastic material and needed more time under the iron. Next time, more heat should be applied to folds or corners in order to create a strong – waterproof seal. 

Mistake #3 – Time

Although we tried to keep the iron in a low setting/temperature, leaving the iron on for too long will cause it to heat up above the temperature on the gauge. To fix this problem, future projects should be heated in varying parts. The process can’t be rushed and should be done in small sections so that the iron can be turned off and cooled. The cooldown process should reduce the risk of burning the plastic material! 

Images: 

Project Proposal

“Reclaim”

My project idea is driven by the workshops that I attended with Marcela. After learning how to use the embroidery machine, I wanted to use my found and recycled materials and embroider on them. Ideally, I want to embroider on plastic, but after a failed attempt of sewing my plastic material which caused a sewing needle to shatter – this form of fabrication may change (aka hand-sewing/hand-embroidering). 

I want to create  (2) separate garments – a top and a bottom. The form whether it be a dress, pants, skirt or etc. is still up in the air. Regardless of the shape, I want these garments to have an embroidered feature which will be native Chinese or Shanghainese plants that will cover the garment. My idea is that plants are reclaiming the space that is once theirs. Instead of the world being overrun by plastic, it will now be plastics being overrun by plants. 

I also want the materials to speak for themselves, making the design fashionable but keeping a majority of its integrity (shape, tags, handles, closures, etc.). I also found some great resources online to show that embroidery on recycled materials like plastic is possible. 

Inspiration: 

Process/Experimentation: 

 

Workshop Experiment:

Last week we did an in-class workshop on heating plastic. The two options we used were the heating press machine and the heating iron. Vanelly and I tried out the iron and came to the realization that our Iron didn’t have any numbers to measure the temperature, so we just guessed (a lot).  We noticed that the shriveling up means that it’s too hot, and so we attempted to adjust some buttons. Then we noticed it was too cold when there was no difference in the plastic and it didn’t stick together with the other piece of plastic. Also- it is good to note that we ironed it on a table and placed a piece of cloth underneath and used parchment paper in between the plastic so it wouldn’t make direct contact with the iron.

During the week I attended a sewing, vinyl cutter, and embroidery workshop that helped me gain more skills and understanding on how to make a wearable as well and guided my design in the direction I want it to go.

Midterm Wearable:

When traveling through Mongolia for national holiday this year, I climbed and hiked through national parks that were filled with trash. I was flabbergasted to see how trashed these sacred sites of the countryside had been invaded by pure garbage. It was more so sad that there was no care whatsoever and it seemed to just keep accumulating. I could not even focus on the view- which was a great big rock that is famous for being shaped like a turtle. I was fed up and began to pick up the wrappers and bottles that were laying around. I then found a huge bag that appeared to be for rice and I filled it to the top with all of the litter I picked up. A young Chinese couple who was also on vacation from Beijing walked over to me and asked me if I do this everywhere I go. I then realized that it has become more normal to see trash in national nature parks than to actually pick the trash up or clean up after yourself. The conversation was a good way to bring up conservation and to spread the idea of conservation. From this event, I have come up with a wearable made out of trash to pick up trash.

I realized that it would have been amazing to have a bigger trash bag or a place to store the trash that I had collected. So I want to create a pair of pants with two layers, very similarly to the inspo image below, that is for trash collecting. SO next time you are on the street and you see trash but don’t have a way of disposing it, you can stick it in your pants and properly recycle it when you get home!

Vanelly and I will be accomplishing this get up together!