Handmade Paper

[2020]

The flood phenomenon in my hometown was a pure disaster until I started seeing things differently from within my very home.

When the floodwater came inside the house without warning, filling up the rooms, we did not have enough time to save all of the belongings, moreover the papers that had been accumulated over time from our family’s past use; exam papers, receipts, documents. A big amount of them had even started taking up the space where I usually place my go-to items. Drenched, broken, unusable are now the adjectives tied to these materials; they had become waste.

Repurposing them felt right to me so I began recycling them into functional paper, once again, in 2020 (I owe the pandemic era for allowing me to notice things more). Shredding the papers, soaking in water, blending into pulp, shaping with a mould and deckle, then hanging up to air dry; were the recurring steps taken to produce the handmade paper.

What was once a waste, now ended up as materials that are as valuable, useful, and can even support small entrepreneurs for their operation materials like business cards and gift cards. Reflecting on this self-directed work, creativity and impact may start from negative occurrences, things that are close in proximity, and as small as from our home.