For extra primary research, I wanted to find exhibitions focusing on biodesign and biomimicry. In the past, I’ve been to exhibitions that focus on different historical pieces for me to reflect on ancient biodesign, which is focused on indigenous communities. These pieces helped me contextualise Biodesign practices, which I will explain on my social media as these historical practices really stood out to me and can be seen as a path for sustainable change in the modern fashion industry. I attended the out-of-the-lab exhibition and the MA Biodesgin work-in-progress show based in London. The aim for going to this exhibition was to scope out the work of emerging materials and what names to look out for; through going to these exhibitions, I was able to find a lot of contacts which I reached out to through Instagram; they have interacted with my symbiosis Instagram which is very encouraging for my work.
Out of the Lab: Practicing Biocollaborative Design, London
S.A.L.T:
This innovation focuses on creating salt using saline to decorate and texture objects. As part of this exhibition, there was a small zine documenting the recipes and process of working with the salt to add texture. I’ve added an image of the magazine for an exhibition surrounding Biodesign. I thought this would be a helpful resource when explaining the materials as it can appeal to the eyes, but understanding Biodesign is a needed attribute for further commercial exploration of the method. Rokka explored weaving and 3D printing to build the bodies of the objects and then worked on growing the salt onto these structures. I really enjoyed this exhibit, but I’m unsure how the product will be processed because of the focus on when the lifecycle ends. The salt would quickly biodegrade in water, but the structure’s body raises questions for me. I’m unsure if the product is fully biodegradable when planning towards the end of the product lifecycle. Many biodesign innovations have been shown to provide a sustainable alternative, but the issue of waste and the final product still ending up in landfills is concerning. The salt takes little from the environment, unlike other products in the same landscapes, Rokka’s central landscape focuses on architecture and interior design for this innovation, which stands out for this landscape, which harvests a lot from the natural world, including marble and wood for flooring or counter space.
Resting Reef:
Resting Reef focuses on being a sustainable memorial service that focuses on creating marine structure that enhance marine growth. The brand places them around the British coast’s endangered ecosystems to promote regeneration. The exhibition showed what marine life grows around the structure with a transparent screen overlaying the 3D-printed structures. This innovation stood out to me due to humans being placed back into the environment at the end of our lifecycle to impact the environment positively. The regeneration of marine ecosystems that have been destroyed through climate change/ errrosian/ extinction is environmental change and effort from biodesigner’s to provide it. The whole process of the resting reef project inspired me, resulting in the end of the human lifecycle; they are preparing the environment, which the human race has deconstructed through our supply chains and globalisation. The result of this project supports the biodiversity of British marine ecosystems. In relevance to responding to how this method could impact grief from the family and friends perspective with their loved ones being placed in the ocean can be a particular memorial spot or having the mindfulness of their loved one surrounded by another world of the ocean where they can live in a new ecosystem is wholesome. I really like this project; it stood out for me with the branding, exhibition space, and manifesto. It accurately represents what Biodesign can provide for the natural world.
MA: Work in progress show: Biodesign, Material Futures, Narrative Futures, Industrial Design
Viewing the emerging biodesigner’s through the work-in-progress show inspired my practice; I’ve been working on my biomaterials for a while, but I’ve struggled to find a way to present it. Many of the illustrations and films shown in the show inspired my work. The image on the left shows a unique and playful narrative to conduct the method of creating biomaterials. Across the exhibition, there was a variety of media, including sound, video, and smell, but not a lot of them encouraged the feeling of touch, which I think is really important for new materials as texture and fit of innovations a significant selling point which could boost the interest of a product. Viewing what concepts are explored for the future of biodesigner’s, it was insightful to explore the different landscapes that focus on beauty, fashion, and interior design.
Skin flowers – Chloe Johnson – Bacteria Pigment ink
The mission of this project was to reverse the stigma surrounded by bacteria and embrace the unknown and usual. Over 4000 substances have been used in tattoo ink, which has been banned in the European Union. The aim of the project is to not only solve the shortage of inks available to tattoo artists but also eliminate the fear of harmful chemicals by evolving a new kind of ink that is beneficial to our health and can be used as an alternative for medical treatments. This project stood out to me due to the unique media of biomimicry. I loved the designs on the sheet, and the inspiration from microbial perspectives and natural structures appealed to me, as well as the Biodesign. Focusing on the waste the tattoo industry creates can be a starting step to adjusting the sustainability repercussions of tattooing. It would be super interesting to see how the ink ages on the skin with the human lifecycle as the skin wrinkles and sheds.
Meta-Moth-Osis – Sophia Heywood
Meta-moth-osis focuses on textiles made from Sericin, a protein made from silkworms, and silk flowers, which focuses on creating tattoo ink from bacteria. I have focused on my one specialisation within biodesign, which is working with food waste, but exploring and viewing the potential of biomicry has been really inspiring. Some of the work from the materials was made with 3D printing, similar to the out-of-the-laboratory experiment. This could be an opportunity to explore 3D printing, as I know little about it. Seeing the different textures and materials that could be made from Sericin is inspiring for textile diversity, with the product expanding the retail opportunity for this emerging material. Many of the designs are hybrids with other mainstream materials like silk and wool, which have a sustainable influence if produced ethically. If not combined with synthetic material, wool will biodegrade naturally, and I’m unsure how all of the materials biodegrade as there were no details about this in the exhibition. The final garment for this collection will be inspired by the metamorphosis of the silkworm. This can reflect the “Nature as a model” prompt from Carol Collet’s study. The definition expands onto The most conventional of the three. This is where designers explore biomimicry principles to imitate a behaviour, a function or a pattern, as seen in section three above. Much of my contextualization into ancient biomimicry has been based on Carol Collet’s study, where I researched these. I loved seeing this principle in modern biodesign as I did compare this in my essay, but noticing these models in practice is inspiring to correlate it to my practice.