Crafting Interactive Paper Composites through Ancient Papermaking Techniques

Papermaking is an ancient yet evolving craft, with changes in techniques and materials giving paper contemporary qualities that keep it relevant for everyday use. This adaptability makes papermaking an ideal process for crafting computational composites for tangible interactions. We began by studying ancient Chinese papermaking, replicating it by hand and simplifying the practice into five key steps and tools accessible to novices. We then adapted these steps to imbue the paper with interactive and computational properties, such as integrating conductive materials during pulp preparation, modifying fiber properties through soaking, and customizing sheet texture through watermarking, multi-layering, and coating. We detail our exploration in this paper, as well as demonstrate our findings through four interactive systems focusing on expressive applications made with the computational paper from our adapted process. We also document our exploration in a detailed workbook that captures recipes, failures, and key moments of discovery.