Thin strips of cassette tape are laid out vertically side by side. With the help of a curved needle, more tape is threaded horizontally through the vertical ones.
The completed MusicCloth is coated with a protective layer to prevent the tape from peeling and then placed underneath a cardboard cutout of a person’s profile. Chuan says that while studying in New York, her lecturer brought her to the Material ConneXion Library, a place that stores more than 8,000 reference materials for companies looking for sustainable materials. She was inspired by what she saw and decided weave tape into a piece of fabric measuring 8in by 8in. “I sent one sample to the Library and they asked me to send 20 more pieces for them to display in their libraries all over the world. Our material was selected as one of the most innovative woven materials.”
Tote bags made from MusicCloth. Chuan’s innovative material caught the attention of Kevin McCloud, designer, writer and presenter of Grand Designs since 1999. McCloud was thumbing through a magazine and saw the MusicCloth. He selected Chuan as one of the top five green heroes and her MusicCloth tote bag was put under the spotlight. Even as we speak, Chuan is constantly getting calls requesting collaboration projects. Thanks to the media — social and traditional — Chuan has received enough tape to see her through many more future projects. “After a radio show, many uncles and aunties contacted me and donated all their old music tapes. United International Pictures, who found us on Facebook, said they had more than 500 video tapes to donate. A lorry was sent to my house and my storeroom is now filled with tapes,” she says with a laugh. For more information, log on to www.interiordesign.net/videos/13611-material-insight-music-cloth.