plastic bags are hot pressed together to create a series of translucent vases

continuing her experiments with contemporary materials and novel processes, jisun kim of studio round shares her latest series that utilizes an unlikely medium — plastic bags. the project, suitably called ‘poly’, uses layered plastic bags that are hot pressed together to create a delicate-looking yet durable fabric. the seoul-based designer then cuts the pieces to size and applies heat to the edges to form translucent vases with finely textured surfaces. 

images by 516 STUDIO

the poly series shows how something that is commonly used, and often discarded, can be transformed into a beautiful object. due to the heat pressing process, the final plastic surface is always different, which is the biggest feature of the product. the unique texture created by the melted plastic looks like tiny blood vessels that allow light to pass through, thanks to the translucent quality of the plastic. in addition to the vases, jisun kim has also turned waste vinyl into poly lamps, which speak about sustainability.

‘although plastic bags are synthetic chemicals, I wanted to express emotions using them,’  says jisun kim about the poly series. ‘I wanted to give a comfortable feeling through relaxed lines without tension, and I wanted to show the value of craftsmanship that only humans can make using plastic bags that we commonly find in our daily lives. I wanted to show people the potential of throwing away plastic bags into vases with lifelike textures.’

project info:

name: poly series/ vase, lamp

designer: jisun kim / studio round

photography: 516 STUDIO

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.