A&D ANNUAL 2021

Eliza Connolly

Working within a circular economy, ‘Oysterware’ investigates ways of re-purposing local shell waste from the seafood industry to create functional tableware. The research uses a critical-making approach to designing for the circular economy, utilising an experimental methodology that transposes food waste (oyster and mussel shells). To tackle the problem of excessive shell waste, ‘Oysterware’ transforms the value of waste resources into critical materials, maintaining its value through returning the shell waste to the product cycle.The tableware comprises three natural materials: oyster or mussel shell waste, water, and sodium alginate, a material derived from brown algae. When the calcium carbonate found within the shell waste combines with the other two materials, it creates a clay-like paste that naturally hardens and can then be used to form objects. After use, the tableware can be reconstituted into a paste for remodelling, creating a re-use cycle. Alternatively, the tableware can be disposed of in council green bins or added to soil as the materials hold soil benefits, allowing for sustainable disposal. This creates a functional cycle of consumption, waste production, object manufacture and re-use that ‘Oysterware’ works within.