Presentations from 6:30–8:30 | $5 entry, free for students

Material Matters is a research centre at Emily Carr University operating at the intersection of the handmade and the digitally crafted, exploring the material and social implications of emergent modes of fabrication. Outside the Box started as a meetup and has become a monthly forum for industrial and interior designers, artists, artisans, furniture makers, manufacturers, builders, architects and anyone interested in using wood as a medium to create with. For the first time, these two groups are combining forces to bring you a multi-part series on wood, framed around regenerative design thinking, regionalism, sustainability identity, and community engagement.

In this series we want to uncover the stories behind the people and the structures behind the projects — the why and the how. The presenters have been asked to consider how creative thinking and a commitment to craft have contributed to getting them where they are today. We need a new approach to forestry in the 21st century as commented on by Bob Williams in "Restoring Forestry in BC." The presenters during the course of this series will highlight the emerging practices, methodologies and processes they are using to add value to our forest resources and connected communities.

Presenters

Monty Chong-Walden is the Co-Founder & CEO of Calmura Natural Walls Inc. Calmura Natural Walls Inc. is developing a patent-pending climate-change resilient wall system for residential and commercial projects using a factory-produced biocomposite panel and matching infill. Their biocomposite is known to be flood, fire and earthquake resistant and will last for generations while locking carbon from waste cellulose in the wall. Calmura is currently doing pre-pilot research and testing at FP Innovations at UBC, and looking forward to establishing a pilot plant facility and building proof-of-concepts in 2018/2019.

Felix Böck is the Founder and CEO of ChopValue Manufacturing Ltd. Felix is a Wood Science & Engineering graduate student, working towards his PhD at UBC on structural Bamboo products. He received a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Wood Technology & Industrial Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Rosenheim, Germany in 2013. He has gained experiences with bamboo as raw material in the position as Head of Product Development for African Bamboo Plc in 2011/12. He continued his research on natural fiber composite materials for BASFSE, Ludwigshafen and Dieffenbacher Group, Eppingen and then made his way to BC where he took on a role with FP Innovations. His focus has been working on technologies for processing bamboo culms into strands, particles and fibers for developing bamboo-wood hybrid elements. His motivation is to develop products which lead to new business ideas and opportunities in rapidly growing economies of developing countries.

Logan Gilday is an artist designing under OGA Design and a Co-Founder at the Yew Woodshop. Growing up in the Yukon, surrounded by nature and spending time in the bush with his family, has instilled Logan with a love of wood. Logan's artwork is driven by a constant desire for him to see his visions brought to life. When starting a project, he tends to seek potential in unusual pieces of wood, often chunks which have been discarded or deemed unusable elsewhere. He favours large and heavy objects, and will often combine metal components to the wood for structure or visual balance. Combined with his ever child-like spirit, Logan's pieces also tend to have an air of whimsy and remind the viewer to forget rationality and allow their inner child to play.

Nova Olson is a design practitioner and woodworker based in Vancouver. Her work showcases abandoned, lost or discarded materials often concerning site development. For a year she worked building a number of playscapes and log features with Dirks Natural Playgrounds and continues to question wood's contribution to the (infra)structures of our communities.