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MaDe Participant
Name

Francesco Cantini

Material
Chimera
Nationality
Italian
Classification
Animal
Workshop
Milan
Category
Industry
Profile

Francesco Cantini was born in Pisa in September 1991. In 2016 he graduated with honors in Design at the Libera Accademia di Belle Arti. After a short work experience abroad at the Harrison Design studio, he returned in Italy where he worked for a period with the company Mantellassi 1926. In 2018 he obtained the title of Master’s Degree in Design with honors presenting a thesis on experimental materials. Winner of some design competitions such as “Riva 1920 Design Contest” and “Un Goto per Venezia” boasts the exhibition of a product at the Murano Glass Museum. Actually he lives in Florence, where he works at the Design for Sustainability Laboratory.

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Project Information
Material Qualities
Color: Amber
Soft / hard: Soft or hard (depending from the glycerol percentual)
Shiny / matt: Matt
Smells: Almost neutral
Texture: Smooth / Translucent
Others: Resilient/Flexible or hard (depending on the percentage of glycerin)
Material Recipe
Recipe ‘Hard’
- 60g Animal collagene
- 10g glycerin
- 5g winegar
- 7g soda (or surface finish)

Recipe ‘Soft’
- 60g Animal collagene
- 5g glycerin
- 5g winegar
- 7g soda (or surface finish)
Material Narrative
The idea born from the desire to create natural substitutes for current plastics and gum. Animal collagen is extracted from the processing waste of the meat industry, one of the major causes of the environmental crisis. the waste is hydrolyzed and the collagen separates from the bones and skin of rabbits, pigs and cattle. In ancient times this material was used as a glue for carpentry and bookbinding.
Material Classification
- footwear design / innersoil
- head protection, knee protection, technical wear or bag
- smartphone covers
- substitute for the tomana in upholstered furniture
- translucent embossed window stickers
- veneering furniture
- solid contenitor for powder or similar
- 3D printed flexible objects/prototypes
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MaDe, a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of The European Union, aims at boosting talents towards circular economies across Europe partnering with design and cultural institutions, Elisava, Ma-tt-er and Politecnico di Milano.

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