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From the Fens, With the Fens, For the Fens

Lucy Mitchell

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I believe in regenerative design processes that work collaboratively with ecosystems, species and complexities rather than fighting against them. I have used my Regenerative Design MA to be as place-based as possible, getting to know the Cambridgeshire Fens by bicycle and uncovering the unique socio-ecological challenges this biosphere faces. I get excited about material culture and how we can design and make things that are better connected to living systems.

I have a background in industrial design, previously working as a design consultant on innovation and sustainability projects.

I believe in regenerative design processes that work collaboratively with ecos...

The Cambridgeshire Fens are a landscape of low-lying peat soils in East Anglia. Once a wetland, much of the land was enclosed and drained for agriculture from the 17th century onwards. Nowadays only 4 fragments of original undrained fen habitat remain and years of drainage have resulted in the peat degrading as it shrinks, oxidises and erodes. Soil loss is estimated to be between 8-12mm a year in the Fens. Degradation of peat soils is also associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Some sources estimate that agricultural land use in the Fens produces approximately 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

Paludiculture is the practice of farming on rewetted peat, with an elevated water table closer to the ground’s surface. It has the potential to reduce the degradation of peat soils and CO2 emissions whilst still cultivating the land and supporting fen biodiversity. There are currently no commercial paludicultural sites in the UK, but it presents an opportunity to rethink the way we interact with land in the Fens.

‘From the Fens, With the Fens, For the Fens’ uses paper artefacts made from potential paludicultural crops to tell playful stories of interconnection and changing values, whilst demonstrating the potential commercial properties of these novel crops.

Final work

  • A paper eel decoration is held up in front of the Eel Day Parade
  • Beer mats with messaging about peat, paludiculture and the Fens
  • A jar of jam with a paper label on it next to slices of toast covered in jam
Pulling a sheet of paper from a plastic box with a mould and deckle

Pulling sheets of paper with a mould and deckle. Sheets of paper were made from a mix of potential paludicultural crops including sedge (carex sp.), common reed (phragmites australis) and soft rush (juncus effusus).

Paper samples mounted on white A5 sheets on a wooden floor

Samples used to test different fibres, paper blends and production techniques. Processes were used to produce both flat and corrugated sheets with fluting sandwiched between a liner.

Research and process

  • A researcher holds a brown hawker dragonfly
  • Two trays each contain freshly harvested celery plants with visible root structures
  • A basket in low light made from soft rush cordage
A mix of paper products are arranged on an open bureau

A collection of paper forms made using a range of processes and techniques. Experimenting with a mix of methods resulted in different shapes and structures, helping to showcase the capacities of paludicultural paper and influencing the artefacts designed.

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From the Fens, With the Fens, For the Fens

The Cambridgeshire Fens are a landscape of low-lying peat soils in East Anglia. Once a wetland, much of the land was enclosed and drained for agriculture from the 17th century onwards. Nowadays only 4 fragments of original undrained fen habitat remain and years of drainage hav...

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