Plastic Stone Tiles by Enis Akiev

Object / Design

The tiles in the “Plastic Stone Tiles – the nature of waste”-project are made from post-consumer plastic waste. The starting point of the project was the question of the nature of waste and the subjective definition of this term, especially in relation to another term – that of resources. For Enis Akiev, waste is initially unused material. Most of the waste ends up in the sea, where under natural influences plastiglomerate is formed – a combination of plastic and natural geological components, ultimately a new type of rock. Based on this, Enis Akiev investigated rock-forming processes and developed methods to give light packaging waste a natural-looking, rock-like structure. Her aim is to change the perception of waste and show its special aesthetics by focusing on post-consumer plastic waste. This increases the value of the single-use packaging waste and transforms it into an aesthetically pleasing, durable material. With her work, she would at the same time like to encourage people to reflect more about the possible uses of waste, especially in view of the decline in natural resources. The result of her project is attractive tiles of great diversity in terms of colour and pattern structure, which allow different types of rock to be associated.