GSD_MORI

Scale: 1:1

Cotton commonly goes through a standard cycle after being picked and ginned. The fibers are cleaned and sometimes wrapped and used as they are, like in a cotton ball. Then the fibers are spun into thread, which can then be loomed, woven, knit and knotted. The resulting fabric, of varying porosities, can be dyed, worn, treated with additives, hardened, and softened. Used fabric and lower grade cotton can be pulped and bleached, transforming it into insulation, sprayable plaster, liquid wallpaper, or high quality paper. When repurposed, cotton fibers become ever shorter, until it takes the form of cellulose powder. At this stage, it can be used as inactive fillers in pills, emulsifiers in food, or turned into rayon or cellophane. 

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Pulp cotton attempts to blend the stages, taking the order in reverse. It begins with what looks like paper, but is actually a net with some extra cotton fiber, wetted and compressed into a flat form. The relative rigidity and small size are compact for ease of transport and storage. When objects (in this case, a grapefruit) are dropped into the center, the lesser connections between threads break away to reveal the structural net. This packaging technique can be used on larger nets with more complex geometries, and would work best with a loosely spun thread.

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