Outline of project:
To create a useable product out of used plastic bags. In this class we have learnt that Plastic is a substance that our earth cannot digest. We also learnt that the worldwide reliance on disposable plastic packaging is extremely overwhelming on our planet and the percentage of plastic from the total amount of waste that we create is ridiculous. Plastic pollution is harmful to our human health.
Research and Ideations:
For this project I did some research in order to figure out how one would make a useable item out of plastic. I was worried that if I just used a plastic bag in its purest form that it would very easily tear apart and would not be sturdy enough to be a functional product. I looked through some sources over google as well as on tumblr in order to source for inspiration as to what I would create for my final plastic bag project piece. I had this idea of creating a tote bag but was unsure on what to base it off of. I was thinking of various ideas to implement in regard to the design innovation of my product and resulted in creating a tote bag for pizza boxes (as implemented/ art supplies that can be used when traveling from one place to another. When researching on how plastic bags could be implemented into being more durable I found that it was through weaving or ironing down plastic bags together over wax/cartridge paper in order for them to be thicker and therefore be stronger.
Documentation of Final Process:
For the construction of this final project I used leftover wax paper from the making center and a bunch of plastic bags that I had cut up into squares in order to melt them together over an iron. The heat transfer from the iron melted the plastic sheets together and formed the sides of my piece. I initially ironed each side together however it was not strong enough as there was not enough material that I had used to make the sides which resulted in the fact that it did not maintain its shape. I then decided to stitch the edges of it in order to make it more durable. Below is the documentation of my process.
