Kaumera Combustions
2024Commisioned by Dutch Research Council (NWO)
Kaumera Combustions. Exhibition view at NWO Life 2024, Egmond aan Zee.
Details of Cork. Silkscreen print on steel with Kaumera, processed with flame, 40 x 60cm. 2024. 
Kaumera is a biopolymer derives from bacteria aggregates that fed on sewage. Among its many intriguing properties, one that stands out is its fire retardancy, a focus of research under the NWO Closed Cycles. In collaboration with researchers from TU Delft1, this project delves into the unique materiality of Kaumera, experimenting it as a fire-retardant ink for printmaking. This involves silkscreen prints on steel plates that are meticulously hand-processed with flame.
In conventional waste treatment, the process of combustion condenses the degradation of objects from years into mere seconds. Contrastingly, in urban areas near water bodies, human waste often lingers, floating and decaying. Once discarded by humans, these objects find new life as they are reclaimed by diverse living organisms in the water.
Intrigued by the story behind Kaumera, I’ve begun to view these discarded objects through a different perspective. What if we see these items, traditionally deemed as waste, from the perspective of more-than-human entities? Can the metamorphosis of life forms be discerned through the medium of flames? This work bridges the intricate relationship between human waste in water, the materiality of Kaumera, and the transformative art of combustion. It questions our perception of waste, not as an endpoint but as a part of a broader, calling for more inclusive narrative that encompasses more-than-human perspectives.
Notes:
1. I am deeply grateful to Prof. Dr. Stephen Picken, Dr. Yuemei Lin, Bart Verkooijen, and Dr. Suellen Pereira Espíndola for introducing me to the fascinating world of Kaumera.
In conventional waste treatment, the process of combustion condenses the degradation of objects from years into mere seconds. Contrastingly, in urban areas near water bodies, human waste often lingers, floating and decaying. Once discarded by humans, these objects find new life as they are reclaimed by diverse living organisms in the water.
Intrigued by the story behind Kaumera, I’ve begun to view these discarded objects through a different perspective. What if we see these items, traditionally deemed as waste, from the perspective of more-than-human entities? Can the metamorphosis of life forms be discerned through the medium of flames? This work bridges the intricate relationship between human waste in water, the materiality of Kaumera, and the transformative art of combustion. It questions our perception of waste, not as an endpoint but as a part of a broader, calling for more inclusive narrative that encompasses more-than-human perspectives.
Notes:
1. I am deeply grateful to Prof. Dr. Stephen Picken, Dr. Yuemei Lin, Bart Verkooijen, and Dr. Suellen Pereira Espíndola for introducing me to the fascinating world of Kaumera.