“A cherry tree makes many blossoms and fruit to (perhaps) germinate and grow. That is why the tree blooms. But the extra blossoms are far from useless. They fall to the ground, decompose, feed various organisms and microorganisms, and enrich the soil.”

As I began to think about the analogy of the cherry tree and how an umbrella can mimic this process I looked at photographs of discarded umbrellas. As I looked at these pictures I realized that few people threw away broken umbrellas in pristine fields. Rather the photos showed umbrellas cast into the dirty corners of brick walls, thrown onto gray sidewalks, and lying in rusty gutters. Thus it occurred to me that the umbrella ought to address the urban environment. It seemed to me then that perhaps a cradle to cradle umbrella need not to aim to leave no mark on its surroundings, but instead to leave a footprint that enriched the beauty of its environment.

With these considerations in mind I created an umbrella that is meant to be disposed. The handle and canopy are designed as two distinct pieces. The pure aluminum handle is meant to be kept for constant reuse while the canopy is designed to be discarded after only a few uses. The biodegradable, beeswax-coated, paper canopy is clipped to the frame for use and after its durability is exhausted its user discards it.

Rather than being designed without its eventual end in mind, however, this umbrella celebrates the act of throwing away. Once the umbrella is cast on to the ground and its uncoated underside comes into contact with water it begins to decompose. At this point, the umbrella aims to leave its story behind. Inspired by the imprints that autumn’s leaves leave on sidewalks, I designed an umbrella with plant based-ink designs that are meant to leach into the ground. Just as trodden leaves tell the story of the changing of seasons this umbrella tells the story of an object that, though its usefulness has passed, hopes to beautify its resting place. The patterns could range from photographs to quotations and when the eventual death of the umbrella occurs each user leaves a legacy until the rain once again leaches the imprint from the city.

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