Onion Skin Resurrection

Work > Material experience

Project (2 weeks, 2022)

This series of experiments explores onion skin as a material, aiming to create a versatile sheet-like substance using compositions including glycerine, gelatin, casein protein, and vinegar, with the intention of enabling transformation into diverse forms.

Material sample map

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The Samples

Onion skins + Gelatine

A translucent coating formed around the onion skins, resulting in a sheet. Upon drying, it acquired a rigid, shell like structure, with a tendency to curl.

Onion skins + Gelatine + Glycerine

A flexible, semi-transparent sheet exhibiting varying thickness. The pale yellow hue naturally develops from the onion skin over time and transferred to the new material.

Onion skins+ Casein protein

After 12 hours of drying, a sheet resembling kraft paper emerged. Interestingly, areas treated with casein displayed an unexpected shift to a deep greenish hue.

Onion skins+ Gelatin + Vinegar

After drying for a few hours, the resulting material showcased a paper-like translucent quality, offering foldability, moldability, and water resistance.

The chosen sample

The rationale

Onion skin’s transparency and texture are preserved by binding it as a sheet with vinegar and gelatin. The resulting material is firm, quick, and water-resistant, with increased shear strength compared to standalone skins. Being in paper form makes it flexible, foldable, moldable, and rollable. This versatile material retains the characteristics of the primary by-product while being useful in various real-life applications. A sheet form is best suited for it, allowing for perfect light interaction and without compromising on the general affordances of onion skin as a material.

Affordances

Foldable

Water resistant

Moldable

Translucency enables light interaction