Overview:
"mum" is a product design project that tackles the issue of industrial ocean plastics by upcycling discarded plastic fishing gears, by-products of the fishing industry. Commissioned by REMARE, a sustainable start-up in Japan, "mum" works closely with the local fishing community to conceive another new value in old tools such as nets and buoys that would otherwise become a problem when discarded.

In a world where marine plastics have become part of the environment, "mum" redefines these materials as blessings from the sea. Instead of conceiving ocean plastics as pollution, it accepts them as part of a new nature.

The project appreciates the unique character of ocean plastics, embracing their uncontrollable nature. The wave-like irregular textures recall the feeling of working with natural materials such as wood and stone, which gives the material an individual character that cannot be controlled by human convenience for perfection.

By embracing the material as it is, "mum" reidentifies ocean plastic as material from the natural world, shifting our perception towards the material.

Detailed Background:
Fishermen make a living by harvesting food from the ocean, but the resinous fishing gear they use often gets damaged by the marine environment. As a result, a significant amount of discarded buoys, nets, and ropes are produced as by-products of the industry. PAN- PROJECTS believes that these by-products of the fishing industry should also be seen as a valuable resource from the sea. To shift our perception of ocean plastic from pollution to a precious resource, the project aims to reidentify by-products as one of the productions of the fishing industry. The concept of creating a dining table for feasting on seafood emerged as a way to connect the sea, the fishery, and their by-products.

The table-top has a unique wave pattern that resembles the sea's fluctuating character, and the light reflected off it expresses the ever-changing texture of the sea. The pattern is naturally created through the recycling process caused by uncontrollable factors such as dirt, sea salt, size of fragments that exist as the nature of ocean plastics.

Most plastic products are mass-produced industrial goods that are only artificially controlled, often excluding nature from the production process. This results in an inevitable conflict when plastic materials are left in nature.

In contrast, "mum" highlights the fluctuating, uncontrollable character of ocean plastics. The unique patterns naturally created by the individual differences in the properties seem to have been mediated by the forces of nature, making plastic more like a material from nature. The glossy black colour of "mum" reminds us of the calm waves of the dark Japanese sea which tells the origin of the material.

Through the project, "mum" aims to raise awareness of the issues around the fishing industry while shifting our perception of ocean plastics as a natural material; a gift from the sea.