NPFLINT - selfcreationist…or?? 2024

 I have been considering for ages that I would go towards a more artistic direction the last decades of my life. Im a dedicated SELFCREATIONIST (guess yourself what that means) - and now finally after several years of considering I have taken the step to make my own show called The COSMIC CHAOS SHOW to open in Paris April 3rd 2024.

So thats the news in terms of whats going on in the life of a SELFCREATIONIST who has recently become member of BKF Danish Visual Artist Association – https://bkf.dk - click here to go to The COSMIC CHAOS SHOW Pages.

NPFLINT projects 2022

ARAPAHA – solutions for a real future

On March 24rd 2022 something that will probably become a world sensation was presented at an event in TheTextile Museum in Tilburg, Netherlands. This new possible world sensation is called ARAPAHA.

ARAPAHA means horizon in an old south American language called Guaraní  – and that’s exactly what JORN BEHAGE and JOSSE KUNST who are the founders of the company are doing – setting an entirely new horizon for how we all can envision, design, manufacture, consume and handle modern consumer products not just till they are delivered to the consumer sustainably, but ALSO HOW the entire life of the (BIO)MATTER that the products are made of is taken care of.

APRAPAHA is simply about making products from primarily PLA or other biobased polymers – reusing the products or materials as long as possible – and when the products or materials wear out they are recycled but this is done at molecular level, which means the polymers never really degrade and can in theory be used almost eternally. However, when they eventually cant cope with more recycling they are then composted – which also is a form of recycling – and new plants are grown, processed and made into new polymers in the earth where the ancestor-polymers have fertilized the soil for the plants delivering rawmaterial for the new polymers.

 It all sounds very simple and the ideal for creating a truly sustainable bio-based world.

And yet the technologies ARAPAHA has developed – and patented - are extremely sophisticated – so much that Jorn is expecting to be able to outdo even metal based materials over the coming – decades… Jorn even expects to be able to already in 4 years to demonstrate how even parts of buildings, ships, aeroplanes etc. will be possible to be made using the ARAPAHA technologies.

 However at the end of day the increase in the world population as well as a seriously growing demand for living like we do here in the developed part of the world – will no matter how sustainable our production methods are, eventually create some other problems – over consumption.

And no matter whether future materials for our products are bio based and eternally recyclable, eventual over consumption of material products will foster issues and demand alternative lifestyle approaches. If we want to create true sustainable development for everyone and all living beings on the planet, its simply essential that we start consuming less matter and design in ways that don’t just propose and support senseless (bio based) material growth.

Therefore as part of the ARAPAHA VISION another element is starting to be added – slowly – its about envisioning proper sustainable future consumption behavior. Thus designing so that we don’t just start to use any kind of resources in smaller quantities – and more carefully. But also design a shift in the way we consume since this is very seriously needed if we want to talk about a true sustainable future lifestyle. And yes this can be done in such ways that we even increase our life quality – all of us. I call it MICRO LIVING – LIVING AMAZINGLY WITH A LOT LESS… AND that’s exactly what I will be helping with at ARAPAHA.

Jorn Behage is the initiator of this incredible project called ARAPAHA.

I met Jorn more than 30 years ago at The RIETVIELD DESIGN ACADEMY in Amsterdam, when I on behalf of O2 International – received the IKEA STICHTUNG price of 50.000 € for the work we were doing in O2 at that time (O2 international = design network for designers doing sustainable design).

Jorn was at that time studying design at Rietvield and this with a great passion for especially bio polymers which at that time was almost non existing.

However Jorn followed his intuition and in the late 90´ties he set up what was to become the first company in Europe that really made some valuable progress when it comes to bio polymers – the company was called PROTERRA.

Jorn later sold the company to an investment company and went on new adventures.

And now Jorn is back with an even more ambitious bio polymer technology project – and this is really good news, since if there is anyone who really knows about design and bio polymers its Jorn. Together with Josse Kunst who is an expert on polymers and molecular recycling ARAPAHA is setting of and as I write in the beginning not only setting a new horizon, but also probably becoming a world sensation – soon… I hope.

You can read more about ARAPAHA here at https://www.arapaha.com/ - and when I start working with ARAPAHA I will report on and off at my site – www.npflint.com as well regarding the exiting projects we will be envisioning and designing – projects that will demonstrate that we actually can live in total harmony with the planet we live on – and at the same time make healthy and sustainable business and improve life quality for everyone and everything alive here on Earth.

 April 2022

Niels Peter Flint

Above the carpet pic you have some other examples of test products made with some of the ARAPAHA technologies – in collaboration with various companies here in Europe. The base for the ARAPAHA technology is fibers and therefore the initial products are textiles. However the technologies can be used for numeroud applications.

The first image is Jorn with an example of a t-shirt colored with herbal dyes. Second is a really well envisioned and well designed totebag - done by Jorn - made from a felt developed from the ARAPAHA fibers - also used for the dress on the next images. Lastly you see knitwear also done from yarns made from the same fibers.

Below - to old friends starting a new collaboration…..

THE WONDERWORLDCOMPODO - WWCDO 2022 PROJECT

Other NPFLINT art & design projects