Autograph Tree Leaf Etching Workshop

Overview

The Pono STEAM kit Autograph Tree Leaf Etching workshop was conducted in May in two conferences as alternative sustainable name tag activities engaging over 160 people. This activity blends nametag making with story sharing and a bit about endemic and invasive plants of Hawai’i. This activity was informed by the playful etching of this leaf by my grandparents' generation's during their childhood and it is informed by collaborative exploration with local Hawai’i participants in my 2023 prototyping workshop at the Mānoa Heritage Center and in my garage.

 

materials of initial workshop in late 2023

 

Image above shows leaf change over time. The leaf becomes woody and hard and can preserve the etching for many decades on its surface. I have an Autograph leaf with the name "Ethel" etched on it over 70 years ago on Maui.

 

Workshop participant's design in prototype workshop Nov 2023

Sustainable Unmaking Workshop 

The first May nametag workshops was on May 11th at the Association of Computing Machinery CHI 2024 conference, I was the keynote speaker in the SUSTAINABLE UNMAKING: Designing for Biodegradation, Decay, and Disassembly workshop and I shared the Autograph Tree Lead etching activity as an alternative name badge at the beginning of the day. I brought cleaned autograph leaves collected from my neighborhood and supplies such as hole punches, Hau fiber, mechanical pencils for carving, and mini clothes pins for attachment. My keynote presentation shared the frameworks of the Pono STEAM kit and the importance of Integrating local biology, culture, and place-based design as part of this workshop’s frameworks. 

 

Materials for CHI conference workshop

 

photo by Fiona Bell

 

Leaf nametag etched in CHI conference

 

Nametag work in progress

I also brought local materials from my neighborhood for the other workshop activity of the day which explored the following prompt which I suggested as one of the prompts; “Create an object representing gratitude or celebration for the transitional states of a sustainable "unmaking" journey. How might we creatively recognize and mark transitional states of built/grown/engineered unmaking paths? What subtle and formal traditions/rituals might emerge around sustainable unmaking as we navigate towards new relationships with emergent electronic and digital objects that dissolve, decay, become unmade?” It was good that I brought a collection of local natural plant materials since the conference goers were all visitors and were not permitted to collect plant materials from around the Honolulu Convention Center. After the workshop I took all the unused natural materials back home for use in future workshops or to compost. The following day, I had an open invitation for workshop attendees to visit my hale Nest makerspace and we walked in the neighborhood, passing the Autograph Tree from which the workshop leaves were collected from. 

 

CHI Sustainable Unmaking conference participants visit my Hale Nest Makerspace.

 

We saw etched leaves at the tree I sourced from.

Biodesign Symposium Nametags

On May 12th I conducted the same nametag activity at the Biodesign Symposium in New York City at the New School. It took place during the evening gallery showcase after a day of presentations, including mine, Cultivating Biodesigners, Integrating Local Biology, Culture, and Place-Based Design in Education, which highlighted the Pono STEAM Kit development journey.

 

People creating nametags by etching Autograph tree leaves, hole punching and attaching Hau fiber. Sample etched leaves in foreground were etched the prior year in Hawai'i prototyping workshop

 

a participant etching with a plastic cap.

 

Participant wearing his nametag on a Hau fiber lanyard alongside his official badge tag

 

Participants explore the Hau fiber I set out.

Findings

Engagement of senses: Participants in both workshops were surprised by the scent of the materials. They enjoyed the natural materials and hands on making and many commented on the lovely scent of the Hau fiber and, in the Hawai'i workshop, also commented on the scent of the Plumeria flowers.

Interest in material prep process: The process of prepping the natural materials was of interest to everyone. I shared how the Autograph tree leaves are soaked and dried, and how hau fiber is made (the inner bark of a Hau branch is stripped, soaked in water and then pounded). From this `ili hau (Hau cordage) can be made via twisting. We used only the flat pounded material so that the knot holes and the echo of the branches were visible in the material. In the next workshop, I will be sure to have process images available so that there is visual support of this sharing of material prep.

Excitement for change over time: Participants were excited to see how the leaves will change over time and were able to see that transition in the year old etch leaf samples I brought. There was so much interest in the dark dried hardened etched leaves that when I collected my materials at the end of the evening in NYC, all my samples and some of my hole punches had "walked away." I will be making new art samples. Additionally, in the Hawai'i workshop, there was curiosity in the quick browning of the plumeria flowers. Since I only use windfall plumerias and collect in the morning, the flowers are fragrant and fragile, turning brown at the end of a hot and humid day. This is interesting to contrast with the waxy Kou flower which I brought as they did not change at all over the course of the day.

Invasive, Endemic, Canoe, and Native: All these terms were of interest to participants and quite a few wanted to know more. It was interesting to introduce the word "canoe plant" to these audiences as most had never heard of that category for organism. This activity with an invasive leaf was an opportunity to frame Polynesian explorers as the true model for astronaut as they traversed the greatest open expanse of sea/space to thoughtfully terraform the more remote islands of the world. The Autograph Tree was not one of these plants. It is native to Native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. it is an invasive species in Hawai'i and it starts its life often as an epiphyte (a plant or plant-like organism that grows on another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and debris around it) until it sends down roots seeking the ground at which point it then turns into a parasite consuming its host tree.

Magic in simple materials: I have found that this is a really engaging activity for all ages and all education communities that I intersect with. The fact that this activity only requires a leaf and some sort of carving implement, such as a pen cap or a nail (what my grandparents used in their childhood), is a surprise for many. People cannot help but smile as they start to carve the leaf and see the echings take shape. The results are beautiful and then there is magic is seeing the material changes dramatically over a period of a week as the chlorophyll is disrupted in the leaf tissue which is damaged in variable ways due to the etching. Additionally, this leaf as an art material has a longevity that is also surprising. The material of an invasive plant leaf invites people to tinker, iterate, and experiment freely without concern for waste of materials. Many start to discover that you can carve at variable depths to create different shades of color value. If needle and thread are provided, many start to experiment sewing into the leaf, as well.

 

leaves prepared for CHI

 

Leaves sorted and dried for Biodesign Symposium nametags.

Next Steps

For future workshops, I will be creating a sheet with basic information about the Autograph tree, a few mo'olelo (stories) of its history as an etching medium for youth in the early plantation era of Hawai'i, and the biological processes in leaf etching. Additionally, in local workshops with local audiences, I will design this activity to raise awareness that this highly invasive Clusia Rosea, or Autograph Tree, is currently recommended by the City and County of Honolulu as a landscaping tree as seen on this official list of approved planting trees. Such sharing can lead to pathways for youth to advocate for change through official policy channels. I also hope to highlight this plant as an invasive plant in the ‘ĀinaQuest deck of cards.