Shedding Light on local Industrial Designer, Sam Alder, and their conversion of Blackberry Bramble stems into functional aesthetic materials.

Join us for the second Shedding Light Talk of 2023 at the Renfrew Park Public Library!

More than Weeds: Repurposing Blackberry into Building Material

This talk features Sam Alder, a local Industrial Designer who works with non-native plant species to make furniture, home goods and tools.

In this talk, Sam will share their work developing tools and strategies to create local, plant specific manufacturing techniques that convert Blackberry Bramble stems into a variety of functional and aesthetic materials. This talk will also be the debut of a full sized furniture piece composed of locally harvested Blackberry, bonded with a unique non-toxic and petroleum-free seaweed based binder. There will be many hands-on items to see and touch.

Context: Addressing the overlapping crises of climate change and settler-colonial extractivism requires a highly context aware re-imagining of our near-term technological future. Current forestry practices around the world struggle to close the loops on nutrient cycling, ecosystem health, carbon sequestration and safe and ethical labor conditions. Shifting our production of cellulose fibre away from forest ecosystems and on to overly abundant non-native plants allows us to use our high-consumer lifestyles to drive regenerative circular agriculture projects which more appropriately use and return nutrients over shorter distances while simultaneously deepening our relationships to the plants and places we call home.

Warm beverages and light snacks will be offered. 

About Sam Alder (they/them)

Sam is an Industrial Designer and a european settler on Unceded Coast Salish territory.

They grew up Unschooled prior to entering college, and studied Blacksmithing, Mechanical Engineering and Robotics before finally engaging with Industrial Design. Sam approaches problem solving from a big picture and context aware position, using phenomenological, sensory and artistic thinking to navigate adjacent to techno-realism. They are deeply passionate about imagining how energy and materials will move in a post-imperial world.

About Still Moon's Shedding Light Talk Series:

The Shedding Light Talk series seeks to increase community knowledge of various topics of environmental stewardship and ecological art, relevant to the Still Creek Watershed / Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood and abroad. 

We look forward to shedding light on this important topic, and to hopefully seeing you at the second Shedding Light Talk of 2023!

The Still Moon Arts Society Team.