Making and unmaking with cellulose

CYTO by Karina Frances explores cellulose as a regenerative material for future making practices. Developed from textile waste, the material is transformed into pulp and shaped using handcrafted techniques rooted in early papermaking traditions. Karina creates sculptural forms and material samples that demonstrate cellulose's potential for cyclical production. This return to fundamental processes reflects a focus on understanding materials from their most basic state, where change begins not with extraction but with rethinking what already exists.

As a speculative fabrication model, CYTO highlights the adaptability of cellulose. The material can be built up through additive manufacturing, combined with other bio-based substances, dissolved back into solution, and formed again in continuous cycles. Karina's prototypes showcase this regenerative capacity, with each piece serving as evidence of cellulose's ability to move between states. This positions cellulose not merely as a material, but as a medium for ongoing transformation.

The project draws its visual language from two scales of observation: the microscopic structure of cellulose fibres and the anatomy of human tissue. Through this perspective, CYTO examines how design can help us understand our entanglement with living systems, revealing shared patterns of growth, repair, and adaptation. The fibrous networks in plant cell walls and human connective tissue demonstrate common strategies for building strength through interconnected structures, suggesting that resilient systems rely on similar architectural principles.

The handcrafted methods used in the project emphasise embodied knowledge, with touch and material response guiding form. Working with cellulose pulp requires close attention to thickness, fibre alignment, and drying conditions, all of which shift with humidity and temperature. This sensitivity mirrors the careful observation of natural cycles and conditions that underpin regenerative practices.

Beyond its immediate form, the project points to potential future uses for cellulose waste within larger material systems. By imagining cellulose moving through repeated cycles of transformation, many single-use items could be rethought as temporary states within continuous material flows. This approach suggests that progress lies not in replacing one material system with another, but in developing a deeper understanding of regenerative principles that can reshape the act of making itself.

CYTO ultimately proposes a future where cellulose becomes central to production systems, connecting biology, technology, and design through mutual dependence. Like the seaweed forests that inspire Dulcie's coastal vision, systems that shelter life and renew themselves over time, the project envisions material infrastructures built around cycles of growth and breakdown. In this view, making and unmaking are part of the same continuous process.

References: Karina Frances