Paula Nerlich

Material

Aqua Faba Foam

Nationality

German

Classification

Vegetable

Workshop

Barcelona

Material Qualities

Light pink to terracotta, depending on density and thickness. Both, depending on density and thickness. From pearl-shine to very glossy.
Once fully dried there is no smell. Depends on mixing technique and how it is being shaped.

Material Application

Unfortunately I am not sure, as I am not very familiar with industrial processes. The processes I know of are very different to the process I use to create the bioplastic. But I would love to explore industrial processes for my material!
food packaging - disposable table wear for short use (wet) and for long term use (dry food) - interior products, like room partitions - tiles (dry spaces) - decorative items, like bowls and covers for plant pots (see page on the right for examples)

Material Method

For the material I make use of a by-product created in food production, which would normally go to waste. By using this by-product I aim to support zero waste food production. The production of the material has very low energy usage and no waste is created within the production. All ingredients used are biodegradable and in further research it could be explored how the material could be recycled before being composted.

Material Narrative

Aqua Faba Foam is a by-product from the preparation of legumes and, depending on the legume, can have emulsifying, foaming, binding, gelatinizing and thickening properties. I am currently exploring the properties of aqua faba from chickpeas within my recipe. I approach material design by creating a recipe and then test it through the application of various techniques within the process of making and the shaping.

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