Rolyo Straw Lamp
SOLO PROJECT
Medium: Plastic straws, tape or glue, recycled acrylic sheet or tissue paper
Year Created: 2017
Category: Product Design
In our environmental design class, we were categorized by which upcycled product to make and I was assigned to create a lighting fixture. We were then asked which material we wanted to work with to create these products. Majority voted for straws given that the situation with plastic in the ocean is worsening year by year.
Initial Version --- 4 different swatches were made but my professor and I both agreed that the rolled up swatch would be the best pattern to go for. To create this effect, the straw has to be tightly rolled up and sealed using tape or glue.
The first version made was put together using only a glue, water and tissue paper mixture. This proved strong enough to hold all the pieces together but was quite challenging without a mold. It was also time-consuming to do and was not as consistent compared to using an acrylic sheet as the foundation.
Final Design --- The acrylic base came from the recycling dump area of our school where old materials which can still be used are kept for storage. The sheet was previously used for an announcement board but is now repurposed as part of the lamp.
SM AURA EXHIBIT
September 18-21, 2017 --- The Rolyo Lamp was chosen to be part of IDXO: A Benilde Industrial Design Exhibit organized by the professors and students at SM Aura under the upcycling category.
MANILA BULLETIN PRODUCT FEATURE
October 20, 2017 --- This led to the lamp being featured on the front page of the lifestyle section of Manila Bulletin.
Hanging Flower Lamp
RESOURCE SPEAKER
RESOURCE SPEAKER
Medium: Plastic straws, tape, recycled soft drink bottles
Year Created: 2018
Category: Product Design
I was given the opportunity to partner up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Philippines - Environmental Management Bureau for their men and women empowerment campaign 2018. I was tasked to teach a group of barangay captains and village leaders on how to recreate my lamp and make a business out of it during a one day workshop in Quezon City, Philippines.
DENR PHILIPPINES SEMINAR
March 21, 2018 --- The participants I taught made a hanging lamp version of the Rolyo Straw Lamp. They first made flower shapes out of old softdrink bottles as a base and then proceeded to putting them together using a glue gun to form a flower-like hanging lamp.
More photos of the event:
Finished Product --- It took about 18-20 people 7 hours to roll at least 800 straws which were all utilized for the lamp/
