Material Memory Studio — Research
Material Research Library
A living archive of material references, historical sources, biomaterial experiments, pigments, binders, and artistic research — accumulated across 12 countries and ongoing studio practice.
Each entry includes what the material is, why artists use it, historical context, basic process, common failures, and Jay's own studio notes. The library grows with each workshop, residency, and research trip.
Browse by Category
Agar Bioplastic
A seaweed-based flexible bioplastic — sheets, films, and castings from red algae
Gelatin Bioplastic
Animal-based flexible bioplastic — warmer, stronger, and more forgiving than agar
Sodium Alginate
Brown seaweed biopolymer — strings, castings, and mould-making via calcium crosslinking
Botanical & Photo Embedding in Bioplastic
Pressing flowers, plants, and photographs into cast bioplastic — the Material Memory Studio signature technique
Indigo Vat — 3-2-1 Fructose Recipe
Natural indigo fermentation vat using fructose as reducing agent and calcium hydroxide as alkali
Natural Dye — An Introduction
Colour from plants, insects, and minerals — fibres, mordants, and the chemistry of natural colour
Cochineal
Scale insect dye from Oaxaca — reds, purples, and pinks from carminic acid, mordant-dependent
Botanical Dye Plants
Marigold, palo de brasil, weld, walnut, perikon, and other plant dye sources from field practice
pH & Colour in Natural Dye
How acid and alkaline conditions shift dye colour — and how to use pH as a creative tool
Drying Oils & Resins
Linseed oil, perilla oil, sun-oxidized linseed, Canada Balsam, pine resin — binders for oil painting and natural varnishes
Mineral Pigments
Stone, powder, and stick pigments — Korean traditional painting materials and their global equivalents
Chlorophyll Printing
Sun-bleaching plant leaves to create photographic images through chlorophyll — 2–3 day UV exposure process
Glass — Material Overview
Hot shop, kiln casting, flamework, and glass as artistic surface — 15 courses across Berlin, New York, and Seoul
Flamework & Borosilicate Glass
Torch-worked glass — borosilicate COE 33, scientific glass, and sculptural forms at the flame
Adobe — Earthen Building
Sun-dried clay brick construction — one of the oldest building materials in continuous use
Arts as Ecology
Art practice in ecological context — from Earth Art (1969) to Feral Atlas (2020) and the Anthropocene
Rammed Earth
Compressed earth wall construction — 5cm layers, minimum binder, dense and water-resistant
Situated Knowledge & Material Practice
Donna Haraway, Anna Tsing, and the politics of knowing from somewhere specific
Earth Pigments & Shell White
Ochre, clay, yellow earth, Korean 황토 — and 호분 (shell white) from weathered shells
Animal Glue — 아교 (Agyo)
Hide glue, fish glue, rabbit skin glue — binders and sizing agents for Korean traditional painting, canvas preparation, and gilding
Mordanting
The mineral bridge between dye and fibre — alum, tannin, soy, soda ash, and the chemistry of colour fastness
Anthotype
Plant pigment photography — spirulina, turmeric, red cabbage, beetroot exposed to UV until the image appears
Starch Bioplastic
Corn, tapioca, and wheat starch bioplastics — the most accessible and food-based biomaterial recipe
Mycelium Materials
Fungal biomaterials — growing mycelium on agricultural waste to produce structural, acoustic, and packaging materials
Gromwell — 자초 (Lithospermum erythrorhizon)
Korean purple root pigment — shikonin extracted in oil or alcohol, not water
Lumen Print
Photographic paper exposed to sunlight without chemicals — unpredictable, organic colour from direct contact with objects and plants
Watergram
Photography through water movement — glass, water, photographic paper, and flash light
Eco-Printing
Steam-printing botanical pigments directly onto mordanted fabric — leaves, petals, and bark leaving their imprint in the fibre
Lime & Natural Plaster
Lime cycle from limestone to finish coat — the living chemistry of traditional plaster
Plant Fiber — Hemp, Nettle & Bast Fibres
Natural bast fibres from stem plants — textile, paper, rope, and biomaterial applications
Cyanotype
Blueprint photography on paper and glass — ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide, UV exposure, water development
Learn & Make
From archive to studio — learn these materials in person
The research here forms the foundation of our workshops and 1:1 material consultations. If you want to work with a specific material — hands-on, in the studio — reach out.