Yash Badgujar

Title: “Development of High-Density Wool Textile Composite Panels as a    Sustainable Structural Alternative to Softwood Framing”

Artist Statement

Yash is researching the creation of a sustainable and practical way of transforming waste wool into something capable of use in long-lasting furniture and interior design applications. The concept of his idea is partly because he was concerned about the harm caused by traditional wood, which is mostly softboards, to the environment, and how to have something that could serve the same purpose but cause no harm to the environment. Wool in the textile industry is regarded to be useless and, as such, it usually ends up in landfills. Using waste as a source material, Yash set out to confront that belief and demonstrate the potential of an otherwise useless material to become a functional, aesthetic, and sustainable one.

To implement this vision, he incorporated the use of existing technologies with the kind of craftsmanship. He tried out materials, experimented with felt making and washing wool panels, and even laser cut the wool into panels and studied its strength, ability, and adaptability. It took numerous trial-and-error cycles before he ended up with prototypes that were able to integrate strength, flexibility, and an appealing look.

The project is not exclusive in relation to the production of panels. It poses some questions concerning the way we tend to look at materials in overall terms. By promoting the values of environmental responsibility, Yash makes the designers and the viewing audience take a closer look at the consequences of making a simple design decision as to having an impact on the world on one hand, and only the local community on the other. Rather than regarding waste wool as a waste pile of goods, he packages it as an elite resource. This opens a broader discussion on how we can move towards a more sustainable design and how materials could be utilised by reusing in a circular or even a zero-waste approach.

Ultimately, the work of Yash is about culture as it its products. He wants to advance a sense of design that emphasizes sustainability, creativity, and experimentation. In his outlook of the future, he does not imagine that materials will be rejected as waste but will be managed towards the optimal end. Challenging our preconceived notion of what we term as waste, he illustrates how novel concepts can re-situate the design industry to become more green, low-carbon and more responsible methods of production.