Plastics and Synthetica

Jack DikianApril 2012

Reading about plastics and the role they played in post war culture, and possibilities of a new industrial world. I can still remember my mother insisting on an orange themed Formica kitchen.  It’s fascinating how plastics and their use, changed form, function, and design. We, in more recent years have shifted our impression of all things plastic. If anything, however, there is no question we use plastics now more than ever – these have been integrated into our lives so much so that we hardly stop and think we are buying plastic.

What is interesting is the significance of plastics in those post-war years. In 1940 Fortune magazine published a map of a brand new continent. The map, called Synthetica (see pic) with countries such as Nylon and a new territory Melamine and even an exciting island called Rayon which was supposedly known for it’s nightlife.