Material Investigations XI
I created a large skin today incorporating graphite powder and glass beads.
As an additive, graphite fits within my theory. It is formed from the matter of dead plants and animals. In thinking about how water connects bodies of water over time, including graphite is like including the ancient remains of dead animals and plants. Graphite is something that occurs in meteorites so there is also an interstellar connection with water which originated from space.
I was curious to ascertain whether I can get a large piece of bioplastic to dry with minimal splitting. I loosened the skin from the board and placed strips of fabric at intervals between the bioplastic and the board. I am hoping as the water evaporates and the bioplastic contracts that it will just pull in on itself rather than sticking to the board and splitting. I bunched the bioplastic up a bit to try and alleviate the stress on the material to avoid cracking and splitting. About 20 hours after making the bioplastic, I noticed it despite my preventative measures, it had split at various intervals around the edges. The bioplastic started to wrinkle and warp as it cured. The graphite is lighter in appearance now and the glass beads are more evident on what is the underside in the making process.
After the material had cured, I wanted to explore if I could remanipulate it if I place it in hot water for a short period. The hot water gave the bioplastic some flexibility without losing the textures which had formed in the curing process. I was able to drape it over a round bowl and left it to dry again. With the exclusion of glycerin the bioplastic is much drier although it does still absorb water from the atmosphere - it remains crispy but it gets a little more movement in it. The bioplastic has shrunk significantly in the curing process and the final size of the material was about that of an A2 sheet of paper, in its wrinkled and crumpled state it is about 330mm x 550mm.
References
https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/detailed-rocks-and-minerals-articles/graphite
