Biodesign & unique handmade furniture

Introduction and development of a 100% natural handmade bio-composite

Hosted by Atelier 4C / Geertje Hoogenboom

This project is now archived and was part of DDW24

This project is part of
The Symbiocene Forest - Coexistence

Atelier 4C

I'm Geertje Hoogenboom, a professional working in the applied arts. Besides museum solutions, I design and manufacture unique interior items in my own studio, Atelier 4C in Ravenstein. To contribute to a durable future, I am developing a new bio-composite which I introduce at BioArt Lab during DDW.

How it started

As we should all contribute to a cleaner world, I try to work very sustainably. In my search for environmentally friendly materials, I regularly come across the fact that many ‘green’ products are far from being natural, let alone biodegradable. Many fossil fuels are still used in the production processes and transport, the material is still expensive and difficult to obtain in smaller batches. With that in mind, I started the project I am launching at BioArt Laboratories: I'm developing my own bio-composite! I'd like to invite everyone interested to work with me.

What I create

I manufacture sustainable sheet material and small furniture from 100% natural and biodegradable materials. I do this by cold pressing by hand in a mould or with a mechanical press, either way without the use of electrical power. The technique and materials are based on centuries-old knowledge from ancient civilisations, scientific developments and on how materials are created in nature. I manufacture a sturdy, water-resistant bio composite which I manually process into utensils.

What you will see

You will see designs that are organically built and degradable. I will show samples of the new bio-composite with a both woody/stony look and some small handmade utensils I made of this material: a composition of what nature has to offer. I will tell you all about the making of. I will also demonstrate some other unique furniture designs.