In this Future Materials Encounter, Pleun van Dijk, curator of the Future Materials Bank, sits in conversation with material designer Sarmite Polakova to talk about PineSkin and PineResin, two circular projects by Studio Sarmite that unveil the potential of two very common byproducts of the timber industry. During the conversation, Sarmite and Pleun reflect on the overlooked potential of discarded materials, and how design can help broader society to understand materials in a better way, rethinking waste as a surplus, and collectively envision sustainable future scenarios.  

Studio Sarmite

is a natural materials design and research studio based in Frankfurt, Germany. Lead by Latvian designer Sarmite Polakova, the studio work focuses on transforming industry waste and various byproducts into new high-quality materials that can be brought back to the market. Polakova combines experimental research with the manipulation of existing designing methods, which leads to a design language tailored specifically for each material. Thus, the design objects become the main carriers of the narrative. Her projects PineResin and PineSkins are part of the Future Materials Bank. 

The podcast is part of a miniseries of Future Materials Encounters organized in the context of The Living Archive, the closing exhibition of the ⁠InnovatieLab⁠ programme, at the ⁠Dutch Design Week 2023⁠. 

Visit our ⁠website⁠ for more information about the Jan van Eyck Academie, our participants, and programme.