The Breakdown

Wood has always been a plastic substance, whether carved, pressed, or shredded and mixed with water and chemicals to form pulp. The magazines and books we hold in our hands attest to that transformation, but we don’t often think about their materiality. We’re concerned mostly with the message, the product, or the usefulness of the thing.

But materiality is quite often top of mind when it comes to cardboard. Maybe it’s the fluting, which vaguely channels the tall and slender pine trees it came from, or it’s the woody and fibrous smell. Over thirty-five odour-active compounds — including vanillin (imparted by whisky barrels), dodecalactone (with its notes of peach), and para-cresol (which recalls a stable) — can stimulate the imagination and awaken unexpected emotions. It’s elemental and chemical and a bit magical. Empty, a cardboard box gives both space and structure to a wandering...