The research project “Reshaping Paper and Plastic Waste” is dedicated to the experimental exploration of paper and plastic waste as a formable source material. At its core are open, process-oriented investigations focusing on the reshaping, compaction, and layering of these materials.
Through manual and machine-based experiments, the materials’ inherent properties—such as structure, flexibility, transparency, strength, and surface qualities—are revealed and reinterpreted. The research approach does not primarily view waste as an ecological problem, but rather as a malleable material with its own aesthetic and constructive qualities.
The aim of the project is to develop new material states, formal modes of expression, and design applications. The focus lies on knowledge gained through hands-on experimentation, as well as on the documentation of processes, failed attempts, and transformations as an integral part of the research.
The material experiments developed within the project were exemplarily realized in the Frauenpreis 2025. The design of the award translates the researched processes of reshaping and combining paper and plastic waste into a tangible object, making the design potential of the experimentally developed material states visible.
Project team:
DI Elisabeth Kofler
Frithjof Haupt BSc
Stefan Guttmann