Abstract

The goal of this project is to use casein as a case study to explore historical methods of making and to show that these have uses for today. In the first half of the 20th century, casein, a milk protein, was a widely-used industrial material. Buttons, buckles, glue, and clothing, among other products, were made from it. The use of casein declined in the post-World War II economy because of reputational damage done by its association with Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime and the rise of petroleum plastics. This project argues that casein deserves to be revisited. Specifically, this project offers the example of using a casein-eggshell material to make lighting.This is but one potential use for the material. The benefits of returning to using casein extend, this project argues, beyond replacing non-sustainable materials. Indeed, what revisiting casein offers is an opportunity to re-imagine the relationship between a material and the environment from which it came. By borrowing the concept of terroir from the culinary industry, and applying this to materials, a different economics becomes available. One that ensures that material extraction does not come at the cost to local economies and small producers.

Publication Date

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Industrial Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Design, School of

College

College of Art and Design

Advisor

Marissa Tirone

Advisor/Committee Member

Juan Noguera

Advisor/Committee Member

Stan Rickel

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Download

Share

COinS