Blog #6- Unusual Materials

Unusual Materials Blog #6

Unusual materials are something used in a setting that is considered out of the norm for that scene. For example, a swing set built out of shopping carts. Looking through the Internet was inspiring to see how many different materials can be used for certain things.  For my assignment last week in Dr. Gaines materials class it was to find a picture of an unusual material and send a picture to Dr. Gaines. I found an image of a shopping cart turned into a cute little chair. The designer put upholstered cushions that used a really cute pattern and the chair looked comfortable and unique. As I researched further on the Internet I came across other types of chairs and furniture that had been created by the materials used in a shopping cart.

In Los Angeles, California there is a huge issue of pollution and trash in low-income neighborhoods. The poverty in these neighborhoods is mind-boggling and the trash and other items that linger on the streets have become complete eyesores. One eco-friendly focused designer by the name of, Ramon Coronado, grew up in a low income neighborhood and he saw the trash and debris all over the streets as an opportunity to change the eye sore into a recreational setting for the people and children of the community. 

He used shopping carts that on a daily basis the streets were accumulating more and more left over shopping carts on the streets and used the parts to create seating areas for that neighborhood. He also used the materials off of the shopping carts to make swing sets for the children. Ramon Coronado felt that by him creating these pieces of furniture around the lower income neighborhoods of Los Angeles would make the public more aware of the poverty levels and the trouble that these neighborhoods are facing. Not only did his design create recreational spots for the people of these neighborhoods but they also cleaned up the area and opened other people’s eyes as to what is really going on in the community. 

When Coronado created the swings for the children out of shopping carts he did this so that these children would have a place to go and play. Unfortunately, these neighborhoods do not have any safe environments for the children to go and play. There are no recreational parks for the kids and so with Coronado’s design of a swing set made out of lingering shopping carts that polluted these communities created a space for the children to go and play.

  It is inspiring as a student in design to look into these heart warming stories of designers using unusual materials and creating a healthier environment for the people living in densely populated areas such as Los Angeles. The use of shopping carts in making furniture not only cleaned up the area but also, turned an eye sore into something useful. Now instead of shopping carts being left on every corner of the neighborhood there are chairs that have been created out of shopping carts for the community to sit in. This use of unusual materials has an incredible value of turning a serious problem into something that can be used on a daily basis in the community.