In the age of Industrial Capitalism, where costs are being cut to make profits, there has been an increased demand to produce alternative products that last longer, are lighter, and cheaper to produce. The inorganic substance Formaldehyde has led the way in multiple innovations across industry since its accidental discovery in 1859 to its first application in 1907 creating the first plastic-Bakelite. These include the generation of your IKEA furniture, that new-car smell, painted walls, and the majority of products inside your makeup bag. However, Formaldehyde seeps from much of the engineered woods that give our homes comfort and security forming residues of industrialisation. Welcome to the Post-Industrial Metabolism! Matter is no longer only travelling through our bodies, but our bodies are now travelling through matter. What are the consequences of this synthetic substance on more-than-human metabolism? Furthermore, who are the social groups using these products and what are the hidden agendas behind their distribution?

 

This project investigates the problem of indoor pollution, more specifically what Michelle Murphy defines as “sick building syndrome”. This phenomenon describes a situation where occupants of a building suffer from illness or chronic disease from the space in which they work or reside. Sick building syndrome provides an understanding of how environmental politics moves indoors. ​Mobile homes which are now almost exclusively constructed of engineered woods and plastics are bound by formaldehyde-based resins and adhesives. The continuous layering of caravans accommodating often marginalised gypsies and travellers results in a layering of problems.