In a small fishing village in Nicaragua, with limited resources and an excess of Coconuts, Justin Pape and I set out to create a formable material that relied as heavily as possible on the the immediate local materials and elements.

With constant power outages in the area effecting both the electricity and running water, we wanted to be able to create this material with out having to rely on having power. Using a non-electric gas stove and water directly from the ocean, we were able to bypass those issues.

On the beach near the property, a seawall made of large rocks had been erected in order to deal with rising water and tides associated with global climate change. In the day time, in the direct sun, temperatures would reach an average of around 40ºc, heating and getting stored within the rocks. We used this to our advantage in order to quickly dry the material so that mold growth would not happen in this very humid environment, as well as use the disinfecting properties of the sun along with the lime to help kill any harmful bacteria.

The Coco material was then formed over easily found objects (a Fanta bottle and a piece of the sea wall) to form usable objects such as a bowl and light shade.

With more time and resources, our goal is to create an easily made biodegradable material that could be used to help curb the waste that litters both the ocean and land. It would help with not only the garbage of the area, but could be an alternative to purchasing certain items in an area with little to no disposable income.

Materials
Dried coconut husk, corn starch, salt water, lime