Introduction

At first glance, plant fibre is the odd material of the show. A composite of pulped fibre and a binder, it appears too processed and sophisticated to fit with the rest of this exhibition. Wood or rag pulp-based paper, the best-known example of this category, was invented in China in the 1st century AD but only arrived in the Middle Ages in Europe. In pulp form, its cellulose fibres are suspended in water and, with the help of wire mesh as a matrix, are used to make sheets of writing paper. Known as papier-mâché this pulp can also be applied to plaster and mesh moulds to create complex forms such as egg boxes or artistic objects.

There are, however, other surprising examples of this amazingly versatile material: dung and turf. The first is plant material that has been processed into a fine fibre pulp by cows or horses. For Neolithic farmers its advantages as a binder in mud building and later as an additive to make moulds for bronze casting, were obvious. In many countries it is still valued as an inexpensive fuel, as turf is in Ireland to the present day. Turf or peat is compacted and deteriorated plant material, mainly Sphagnum moss. In the bog it can accumulate faster than it decays and after 5-9,000 years forms a dense block of plant fibre. Beside its use as fuel and garden compost, it has also been recognised as a material that can be shaped and carved, for example to make moulds for lead sinkers for fishing.