Material Transitions was a project completed in 2021, funded by the Goethe Institut. The project looked at prototyping materials using local organic waste streams. We researched wood chip waste from a local furniture manufacturer and wood ash from a local pizza restaurant. 

Using recipes from Materiom’s Materials Library, we created recipe cards for these materials and invited people from the Bertrams and Lorentzville communities in Johannesburg to learn how to make a material using organic waste streams. Workshop attendees were able to make a biomaterial from scratch, learning the process and the benefits to creating from organic waste.

We received great feedback from the participants and created a strong knowledge base for future workshops involving the community.