Biocomposite
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research & development
nettle, hemp, natural lime
hand mixing, cast-moulding, natural curing
My interest in ecological building processes developed through learning and practicing Permaculture in community projects in Germany and Portugal. My research led me to explore a biocomposite material called hemp-lime (also known as hempcrete). The material is a mixture of hemp shives (the woody inner of a plant, a by-product of the textile industry) and a natural lime binder. The biocomposite possesses impressive qualities and characteristics that I wanted to explore as environmental sculpture. My initial attraction to the material was its ability to store carbon and its low-tech advantage of curing naturally without the need for firing or electricity.
With a preference for working with local or wild resources, I began my practical research using another bast plant, wild nettle, which is abundant in my area. After collecting the mature nettle stalks, I stripped the leaves (which I dry and store for other uses like dying), then retted the stalks so that I could easily remove the bast fibre from the woody stalk. I use the strong bast fibre to make wild cordage. The stalk or shive was left to dry naturally before being cut into small pieces. This process is very satisfying but has so far yielded small quantities for the amount of effort.
Industrial hemp is mostly cultivated in France and Germany but I discovered that there is an active and growing hemp cooperative existing in Ireland. I was able to source a large bale of hemp shives locally which led me to develop a hemp-lime biocomposite to my own formulation, which led to various experiments for moulding and forming as sculpture applications.
This research and development project informed a body of sculptural work entitled Between Rock