Caroline Jacob

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Caroline Jacob wASHing - Designer Caroline Jacob reveals the properties of ash by creating a site-specific laundry detergent at Mediamatic. Sarah Semana

The multidisciplinary work by Caroline Jacob (1993, Fr) comes about through an intent of questioning and reinterpreting material and process. From an observation of reality to daily life activity, she reflects on temporality and ephemerality. The core focus is an interest in the evolution of waste and remainders. By questioning the origin and treatment of those materials she seeks to morph its final outlook. Transposition, transformation and reuse are systems she often uses to revive or extend poor and discredited materials. The intention lies on what the material consists of, its purpose and its possible re-use. Interested in both industrial production and craft, she tests the material on its limits and capabilities through a study in textures, components, alloys and colours in which surprise discoveries co-create the work.

In March and April 2017 Jacob is Mediamatic's artist-in-residence, focusing on the revaluation of waste materials. In parallel with her two-years program at Sandberg, she is driving a material research based on what she has called remainders- the leftovers of everyday processes. 

Ash, a byproduct of ETEN’s waste circulation, appears an appropriate conduit through which to tackle Mediamatic’s challenges. Jacob revisited the material through heirloom recipes and generated a new laundry detergent. By leaching the ash she obtains lye which is highly concentrated and suitable to be used as a soap. wASH seeks to re-conceive an old habit with the aim of sharing a new understanding of local value making in the field of waste material.

During this residency, Jacob seeks to fully revaluate the remainder and develop a usable product for household. By collaborating with the Mediamatic’s team, she hopes to create a fragrance specific to the place using only ingredients found on-site, for instance from our Aquaponics’ herbs. Within the Clean Lab, the extraction, the production and the transformation of materials will occur.

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