Polypropylene Investigation

This spatial design project investigated polypropylene through material experimentation, lifecycle analysis, and immersive digital storytelling. Beginning in the workshop, I explored the material’s affordances through cutting, folding, and melting, discovering how heat manipulation could alter its strength, translucency, and structural potential. Expanding beyond physical testing, I mapped polypropylene’s life journey — from petrochemical production and global distribution to its everyday use in food containers and its post-consumer fate. Research revealed that in New Zealand, 67% of polypropylene ends up in landfill, situating the material within urgent ecological concerns.

These findings were translated into a four-minute immersive Space Lab experience composed of three encounters. Fishies visualised ocean pollution through generative AI marine life; Corflute House examined durability and light through a translucent architectural interior; and Melting presented an energetic, rave-like exploration of transformation. Created using Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, with integrated sound and lighting design, the project positioned polypropylene as both a problematic substance and a material of creative possibility.