The Crafting Plastics Studio – award-winning innovators in materials and design – are a highlight of the V&A’s latest exhibition looking at food and farming and sustainable practices for the future.
Described as a multi-sensory exhibition, there are opportunities to participate by tasting or touching items on display, and overall the exhibition features more than 70 contemporary projects, new commissions and creative collaborations by artists and designers who are working with chefs, farmers, scientists and local communities.
Part of the discussion falls on creative projects using food products in innovative ways. A central feature of this section is the extensive work of Crafting Plastics who have created a type of compostable bioplastic, named Nuatan, from corn, starch, sugar and cooking oil. Colours are achieved using natural pigments such as turmeric or coffee.
Founded in 2016 by product designer Vlasta Kubušová and production designer Miroslav Král, Crafting Plastics has achieved consistent recognition for the material from the design world owing to its extraordinary versatility (it can be injection moulded, 3d printed or blow-formed) and eco-friendly properties, which include not being harmful to fish. Their first collection (‘Collection 1’) of biocompatible biodegradable sunglasses was exhibited at Salone del Mobile Milan in 2016 and since then they have won several awards which include Forbes 30 under 30 in 2018. The most recent project, Collection 4, features a series of handmade lighting objects. For more information about Crafting Plastics visit www.craftingplastics.com
FOOD: Bigger than the Plate runs until Sunday, 20th October 2019 at the V&A, South Kensington, London. www.vam.ac.uk
