‘An earplug is a device that is meant to be inserted in the ear canal to protect the user’s ears from loud noises or the intrusion of water, foreign bodies, dust or excessive wind.’ – google

Ear plugs are commonly used every-day objects and are loyal companions to anyone who is a light sleeper. I chose to research this objects as part of my Space and Materiality projects as I always wondered where this peculiar invention first originated and what other use they might have….possibilities seem to be endless.

The idea of the earplug was first introduced to humanity, so to say, as it was mentioned in ‘Odyssey’, a greek tale, in which the Odysseys crew is warned of the hypnotising sounds of the magical sirens and therefore stuff beeswax into their ears.

Centuries later, in 1907 it was the inventor Max Newer, who gave birth to this idea of introducing wax earplugs to the every day consumer with the german firm ‘Ohropax’ first.

Furthermore, the first ear plug made fully from silicone was introduced to the market in 1962. These earplugs were a redesigned version of the original by Ray and Cecilia Benner and became particularly popular with swimmers, as the silicone was not affected by water. This design by the Benners ( silicone version ) was to be knows as Mack’s Pillow Soft Earplugs.

Nowadays, the most commonly used earplugs are the ones made from the material, formally known as “E-A-R” which stands for Energy Absorption Resin. It was discovered in 1967, as part of a research project concerning sealing joints at the National Research Corporation by Ross Gardner Jr. and his team (in the USA). Furthermore as time progressed the material was refined into commercial memory foam, which consists of either polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane.

Manufacturing of this product:

Materials Used:

1907 : Bees Wax

1962: Silicone

1967: Energy Absorption Resin/Memory Foam, polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane

Environmental footprint :

Depending on the material used for the ear plugs the environmental footprint varies. However the most commonly used material creates minimal waste according to Sound guard.

‘The bottom line, however, is that the earplug itself is unlikely to be biodegradable and the actual amount of landfill created by one employee wearing two pairs a day during their employment is staggering; times this by a number of employees and the number of business within the UK and the financial cost increases and the environmental impact becomes apparent. Fortunately there is a solution that reduces waste, saves money and retains the required level of protection.  Insta-Mold is a new concept in custom made hearing protection. Insta-Mold meets all UK and European safety requirements but the direct ‘instant’ fit avoids the higher costs of comparably lab-moulded custom hearing protection products and provides a low cost solution for business with minimal waste.’ – Sound guard :  http://www.soundguard.co.uk/2014/01/06/toxic-truth-disposable-earplugs/

Process: Most commonly the material is cut into little balls and then distributed, so that the costumer can mood the product itself. However, the process of how a costume Ear plug is made can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJtg9ubGsRI

The straw was first created for the use of drinking beer by  the Sumerians.  The first straw can be dated back to 3,000 B.C.E. The object was made of a gold tube and embellished with precious blue stone which are suspected to be Lapis Lazuli.

However, there has been more then just one straw like object retrieved around this time. In Argentina, both a straw and sieve for drinking mate tea, made from metal has been retrieved.

Many years later, the first non precious straw was found in the 1800s.

This version of a straw was made from rye grass and due to it being  cheap and soft, this object gained popularity rather quickly.

However, this material tended to dissolve and therefore Marvin C. Stone created what we know as the modern drinking straw today.

It is said that he created the straw from paper, as he disliked the rye grass flavour. Stone did so by rolling the paper around a pencil to make a thin tube, then using only the paper, glued together on its loose ends, to drink. This design was later on refined to the plastic version known today.

I chose to research this every-day object, as I feel it would be interesting, especially when assembled, to create 3 dimensional creations. I am fascinated how the straw is able to exhibit a smooth and a hollow surface at once, simply depending on which way one observes it.

Materials Used: Plastic

Environmental footprint : The straw is seen to be rather harmful to the environment, as the stem of the Qtip most commonly is formed from plastic which takes (at least in bottle form) can take up to 450 years to fully decompose.

Process: The process of how a straw is made and how the needed machine works can be seen here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MFD4RQ1aek

This project required me to choose two animal skins I was drawn to, research these and observe the structural qualities of the animals skin. Then breaking down the pattern, creating a graphic alternative pattern of the organic skin. (A) I then drew these variations onto my skin to see how they would work visually, when adapted onto my own skin. (B) Further developing, I then created several paper cut explorations, observing the different visual qualities of the skin as well as developing the method of pattern using paper cut. (C)

After having done so the objective was to explore even more options of how to foster my development using paper cut techniques. I experimented using wire as well as stitching methods in order to connect individually cut paper pieces together, in order to create a more fluid movement within the paper cut samples. This ultimately led me to my final exploration, using both wire and thread, creating my paper glove. (Represented below D )

A.

B. & C

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D.