Materiality & Making Field Project
Materiality & Making Field Project
About The Project
What is the thought process behind the name ‘Unity Grove’?
The garden represents the abundance of biodiversity in Corvallis and aims to inspire others to conserve nature while rethinking how we use everyday materials. Our installation, Unity Grove, was created from upcycled items to form a vibrant floral arrangement that highlights sustainability and creativity. As a group, we drew inspiration from commonly discarded materials—newspapers, plastics, bottles, fabrics, aluminum cans, cardboard, and embroidery—repurposing them into something new and meaningful. For me, it was scrap fabrics and clothing that became the foundation of my contribution. By transforming these everyday materials, we hope to encourage others to recycle, find innovative ways to reduce waste, and ultimately contribute to a more sustainable future.
What is the project for?
Our class took on a five-week-long design sprint intending to create an exhibit that was showcased at OSU’s design expo. As a class, we came up with the overall theme 'Corvallis 2075: Sustainable Connected Communities' to highlight human connection with the aspect of sustainability in mind. Within this theme, we were split up into smaller groups, and my group created a hanging garden made of recycled materials to highlight reusability.
Why Flowers? Why Fabric?
Flowers blooming symbolize the revitalization of the discarded clothes, transforming them into something new. When it comes to using fabric, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse emissions. Additionally, 75% of textile waste goes into landfills, while the industry ranks second in water consumption globally. Using fabric for my flower is a symbol of finding new uses for such materials, in hopes of reducing textiles in landfills, whether by repurposing clothes or creating entirely new items from them.
THE PROCESS
STEP 1: Cut up discarded clothes & scrap fabrics.
STEP 2: Trace 10 x 10 cm squares and cut them.
STEP 3: Fold squares into triangles 2 times.
STEP 4: Cut a half circle on one edge of the triangle.
STEP 5: unfold the triangles cut 1 petal for the first one, then cut 2 for the second then 3 for the third petal and 4 for the fourth triangle. This will create a different size layers.
STEP 6: Glue each layer from largest to the smallest
STEP 7: Repeat step 5 & 6, for different size flowers, cut 20 x 20 cm squares instead of 10 x 10.
STEP 8: Glue flowers into structure with the rest of everyone’s flowers.