Miscanthus Veneer

       

       My work references the idea of a “green space”. It is made entirely out of miscanthus leaves.      

        I’m interested in how a sense of nature is brought into our lived environments. And this specific plant helps me understand what is considered “natural” in a world where even plants, like spaces, are often curated.      

        Using miscanthus I wanted to make something that doesn’t just utilise the plant practically but honours it as a plant, makes it precious again, puts it back into a landscape.     

        It is a landscape, but it can also be a product — and that contradiction is kind of the point I think.      

WdKA × Nieuw Zwanenburg

Sustainable futures through elephant grass

        Presenting the first look of the field research at Nieuw Zwanenburg farm.     

        The crops of Miscanthus x Giganteus, also known as Elephant Grass, were the main prime material for the exhibition "Fibers of Renewal" shown during DDW in Sectie-C.      

        Going around the farm's lands and exploring the soil, the biome, and of course the crops themselves. The cultivation and harvesting gave a better feel for what the project would come to be.    

  

The Process

        After the harvest of the miscanthus plant, the material was left to dry for a month. During this time, its green tones gradually shifted to a soft, desaturated brown. Once dried, the leaves were carefully collected and soaked in water and a glycerin solution to restore flexibility. They were then heat-pressed to achieve a flatter, more manageable form, before being dried again.      

        From this point, the process became one of hands-on material experimentation. I explored various methods of bonding, fiber alignment, and pressing to understand how the leaves could behave as a structural surface. The goal was to push the limits of what a natural material like miscanthus could become while preserving its organic qualities.      

        The surface finishing phase opened another layer of exploration. Techniques such as natural fiber dyeing, laser cutting, and classical veneer finishing were tested alongside more contemporary methods like laser printing and clear coat coating. Then, I paid attention to how each finish revealed different interactions between the plant fibers, color, and texture.      

        Through this iterative process, the miscanthus leaves were transformed into a new kind of veneer — one that carries the memory of its origin in the field, yet speaks to design, craft, and material innovation.