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Rice as Matter is a material investigation by designers Juwon Kim and Na Hyeon that reimagines discarded rice as a design material instead of treating it as food waste. The project centers on rice that is no longer fit for sale or consumption such as expired supplies, excess stock, or milling remnants and examines how it can gain new purpose once separated from its identity as food.
The work responds to changing patterns in Korean society, where rice still holds cultural significance but is eaten less often, leading to growing quantities being stored or thrown away. By combining this unused rice with various binders, the designers created a malleable composite that can be shaped and air dried into functional forms.
