Korea's streets are covered with polyester street banners. Political parties, delivery restaurants, and public offices all competitively hang banners to convey their messages due to the low cost. As a result, polyester street banners have become a standard material for many upcycling projects. However, the high-contrast color combinations and low printing quality of these banners make it challenging to create high-quality products from them.

To address this problem, I developed a method using a cloth sewing sheet to sandwich two banner pieces with the printed sides facing inward, then bonded them together with heat. Next, I placed this fabric into an origami paper pleating frame, tied it, and heated it with steam for about three minutes to create permanent pleats. During this process, the text and images on the banners become abstracted, and the saturation of the background colors decreases, making the fabric easier to incorporate into designs. Unlike traditional pleating techniques, this process minimizes the need for sewing, resulting in higher productivity. Additionally, using simple molds or templates in the future could significantly reduce fabric processing time.

"Sumaq" is derived from the last two syllables of "Hyunsumak" (현수막—the Korean word for street banners) and is also the name of a widely used spice in the Middle East. This red powder adds a tangy flavor to dishes and is used for dyeing leather and fabrics. The concept of transforming discarded banners into bags of various colors aligns well with our product name. Our production method minimizes the use of additional materials and incorporates geometric patterns to add beauty to these simple materials, drawing a connection to the characteristics of many Middle Eastern crafts. While banners are a unique material widely used in Korea, we aim to convey a message through universal and international designs: global ideas can offer solutions to region-specific environmental issues.