Danish designer Sara Martinsen has explored the vast potential of plant fibres in the world of architecture and design at her Phytophilia exhibition at A Petersen in Copenhagen. 
Martinsen has spent the past year building an archive of plant fibres, and learning about their possible uses in design and manufacturing.
The result is Phytophilia, an exhibition showcasing over 20 of these different fibres. Some of them are familiar, like bamboo and sisal, while others are more obscure, such as water hyacinth and kapok.
Phytophilia features plant fibres both processed and unprocessed
The designer hopes to start a conversation about the role some of these materials will play in the future, as manufacturers face increasing pressure to move towards sustainable methods of production. She was motivated to start the project after struggling to find information about sustainable materials and processes for her own furniture designs.
Fabric samples on display include corn, hemp, flax, soybean, pineapple and sisal
"It was always hard to get the full insight from farming, production, transport, construction, etc," she told Dezeen. "Therefore I chose to start from scratch, collecting all the fibres and all the facts about the plants I could find."
"The process has changed my view on nature, and how we as designers and consumers always expect to get something out of nature," she continued.
"All species have a role, otherwise they would not be here. But...