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It sounds like fantasy but art and science have combined to come up with a material that actually disappears after use. Bear with me on this, but the University of Sheffield and the London College of Fashion have teamed up to create dresses that dissolve in water and plastic bottles that melt into a compound that can be used to grow seeds in. These off-the-wall concepts will be on show as part of the Wonderland series of exhibits this summer.
Okay, the dresses first. Ignoring the practical application of a dress that will melt in the rain, the idea is a pretty sound one. On Wednesday 18 June 2008 the creators will be demonstrating it at Sheffield's Meadowhall Shopping Centre by lowering the dresses into giant bowls of water so that the audience can see the underwater fireworks created by the dissolving process -- pictured above you can see the dress in a big bowl above the water level and it disappearing as it goes into the water.
As I said, practically it's not ideal, unless you live in a desert -- but as a stunt to highlight the sustainability of the current fashion industry it's not a bad one.
The dissolving bottles, on the other hand, may have a more practical use. These will also be demonstrated on Wednesday at Sheffield's Botanical Gardens. Apparently the bottle can be dissolved under hot water to form a gel in which seeds can be grown, which is certainly a lot better than tossing it in the bin -- recycling or rubbish.
If someone can sort out the collection and seed-planting logistics of it all then there's a chance to revolutionise the industry. But here at SmartPlanet we think avoiding plastic bottles altogether is probably the best way to go, especially if it's for water.
The Wonderland exhibit will be in Sheffield from 18 June to 13 July 2008 and in Belfast from 7 October to 9 November 2008.
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