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Table of Contents

7. BioFabricating Materials

References & Inspiration

The [Future Material Bank] as always been a great source of inspiration

Inspiration

  1. Herbaceous Alchemy is a project by Peerasin Punxh Hutaphaet that blends healing, spirituality, design and science.
  2. The Soothing Cup, by Lucrezia Alessandroni, explores a new future for menstrual products, reimaging the interaction between the menstrual body, the vaginal environment, and a living menstrual cup.
  3. Emma van der Leest's The Microbial Vending Machine, which showcases the potential pf biotechnology and the microuniverse around us, and her current research Fungkee Supercoating dedicated to developing a 100% biobased, fungal-based coating for biomaterials.
  4. Diana Scherer who works with wheat on a subterranean template to create woven patterns through the root system.

Inspiration2

  1. Alanna Lynch's Gut Feeling which reflects on smell, as communication tool for bacteria and humans, but also as a trigger of memories and emotions. I've found the project in this really interestic publicaiton, Musings, stories with food, feminism, and fermentation
  2. Sound for Fungi. Homage to Indeterminacy by Theresa Schubert that explores how sound influnces the fungi.
  3. In Flux by Nnenna Okore whose work reflects on ecological issues, particularly those related to waste, carbon emissions, and energy consumption.

Research

Materials Biofabrication

This approcah helps us to reach a generative bio- and values driven way of making and living.

Approach

what are plastics?

Plastic

and bio-plastics?

Bio-Plastics

Tools

- Bio -plastics -resins -silicones
- gelatine
- agar
- alginate
- calcium chloride
- glycerine
- water
- vinegar
- pigments & dyes
- sodium carbonate
- kombucha
- mycelium
- pots
- stove
- spoons
- kettle
- container with lid
- textiles and various texture
- cattail
- wool
- glue
- wisk
- moulds

Ingredients and Recipes

Below you can find the Bio Resin and Bio Foil recipes that Amber and I made together. I also made a PDF1 collecting all the recipes we tried as a class with part of the outcomes (for now)

Here is a preview of the booklet (wip)!

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Vegan Fur Skin

Collecting Cattail

* cattail
* fabric
* glue
* brushes
* knife or blade
  • Collect your cattail
  • Cut a piece of fabric a little bit bigger than your cattail; you should be able to wrap it around it at least once
  • Cover it with glue. You can create patterns by leaving some areas empty
  • Roll the fabric around the cattail, and also cover this part with glue to make sure it is attached. If you are making a pattern, you should be careful and apply the glue only on the parts where there is already glue.
  • Let it dry.
  • Once dry, make a vertical cut on un side, you should reach the internal stem. If the inflorescence is a bit stiff, you can massage your cattail.
  • Carefully open your roll and remove the excess material

My cattail

Casein

(wip)

Ingredients try with plant-based mylk?

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Kombucha

We experimented with 3 different mixes. One with green tea, one with rose petals (we were looking for hibiscus but we found those instead in the lab) and store-bought kombucha. If you don't have your culture you can try with kombucha form the store, just make sure it says unpastorised.

Kombucha steps

* 1l water
* 60 gr sugar
* scoby

* kettle
* containers
* fabric
* tape
* ethanol
* strainer

* Clean your tools and your work station
* Add your tea and sugar (50/60 gr) to 1l of water. Let it cool down
* Strain the tea leaves
* Add your scoby 
* Cover in with fabric (cheese cloth) and tape it to secure it. Always label your experiemnts!
* Let it grow. The ideal temperuture is between 25C and 30C, you can use heating mats

Mycelium

Mycelium steps

* mycelium cultivation
* hemp / jute / cardboard / coffee grounds

* ethanol
* cling film
* autoclave
* tape

* Clean your tools and workstation
* Break the mycelium cultivation till you reach to the inner part. Here you have fresher material which you can stor in a separate bowl
* In the autoclave prepare a layer of cling film on which you'll work. Shape your substrate (in my case cardboard) and cover it with mycelium
* Close it using the cling film. Wrap more around it if necessary.
* Label your piece
* Check it every week and spray some water if necessery

Fish Skin

Working with fish skin was a bit too much for me, so I decided to pass this one. Although you can find the documentation of in oin my classmate page

Recipes

  1. BioFabricating Materials Booklet ↩