Waste and Regenerative Natural Materials from Mexico

Pieces of Home: Exploring Tomorrow’s Materials

Articles of Protection — by Taina Campos, Image by Almendra Isabel

Using natural raw materials, when done with consciousness and respect, is one of the closest connections we can have with the Earth – something that has been forgotten along the way. To renew this connection and have a symbiotic relationship with everything natural, we must relearn the knowledge kept by our ancestors and those who have been nurturing this partnership as a genuine way of living. Working with natural fibres, raw materials, agroecology and agroforestry is not brand-new – it has just been lost in modern life. Plants have been the first source of raw materials for many communities worldwide for as long as they can remember.

With proper work and an appreciation for plant-based materials, the benefit is mutual – plants will give you what you need if you consider the needs of all beings involved, including the materials themselves. The possibilities of using natural materials not only apply to plant fibres, but also materials from agricultural waste and innovative plant-based sources.

Designers and researchers believe that a respectful and cooperative working process with plant-based materials can lead to a more ethical and sustainable circular production. Therefore, essential questions involving where the material was grown and who grew it, as well as waste and its historical and cultural significance, cannot be ignored, as transparency is crucial for circularity and sustainability. By researching local materials and flora, designers are working closely with the communities whose knowledge and values have proven to be of utmost importance in achieving an eco-friendly approach. Consequently, the development of biomaterials can positively affect our environment and social impact. With this vision, Danish research laboratory Space10 brought together researchers to explore the relationship between biomaterials, ecology and waste at the Pop-Up Tomorrow's Materials Residency in Mexico.

Pieces of Home resulted from this meeting, in which Ma-tt-er and Biology Studio collaborated, as well as five resident Mexican materials designers.

The project explored discarded and regenerative natural materials, thereby creating better design processes to support local ecosystems.

Through six intense weeks of research and design experimentation, each designer identified and explored new possibilities and used a local biomaterial. We have therefore selected the work of designer Taina Campos and architect Bertín López to present.

Articles of Protection by Taina Campos

—Milpa Alta, Mexico City

Women and girls worldwide suffer the most significant impacts of climate change, which amplify existing gender inequalities and pose unique threats to their livelihoods, health and security.

Designer Taina Campos believes that ecofeminism could change the paradigms and effects of our anthropocentric mindset, in which human activities negatively impact the planet's climate and ecosystems and increase social inequality.

For Campos a designer must be contextualised within the world to understand the issues and, thus, seek solutions. Fundamentally, creative professionals have to verify the historical and cultural significance of materials, their environmental implications and their connection to local communities.

Campos identified a problem in low-income areas on the outskirts of Mexico City, where women suffered high levels of domestic violence and femicide and had few options for economic independence. So she met with the women's collective Mujeres de la Tierra. The nonprofit organisation supports women who have experienced domestic violence. The women cultivate and preserve maíz criollo and produce maize-based foods like tlacoyos, gorditas, tamales and tortillas to sell at metro stations throughout Mexico City.

Campos researched and developed Articles of Protection, a series of vessels made from discarded corn husks that can be used to serve, protect and transport food. The project sought to address not only the social issue but also to preserve the native maize.

There are more than 60 varieties of maize in Mexico. Twelve of them come from Milpa Alta, with over 2,000 maize producers. However, these species are declining as transgenic maize becomes a more stable commodity for the agricultural centre.

Campos turned to maize harvest waste to make a biomaterial. "Protecting native corn is culturally and ecologically vital — for the health of the land and the people," the designer emphasises.

“I try to apply ecofeminism to all parts of my work and consequently protect life on Earth and contribute to a better future for all species.
I’m focusing on biodesign, so mainly concentrating on biomaterials. I design with a circular or biomimicry vision, understanding how the natural world works, where everything is upcycled, and that there is no concept of waste.”

— Taina Campos