7. BioFabricating Materials¶

RESEARCH & IDEATION¶

Hurricane Melissa struck western Jamaica on 28 October at 3.00 UTC, during the first lecture of our bio-fabrication course. With sustained winds of 278 km/h (Category 5), it is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, doubling in speed within 24 hours due to abnormally warm waters.

This storm is the physical manifestation of research conducted over 40 years ago that predicted "the rise in temperature due to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere linked to fossil fuels and deforestation", raising the planet's average oceanic temperature by about 2°C.

I am highlighting this to ground abstraction, create associative reasoning and align meaningful expression. Bio-fabrication is a love, a passion and a purpose. I am not removed from the reality of the decisions, innovations and implementations that can be cultivated through the concern and investment of our immediate environment. I wholeheartedly trust the world will reconfigure itself through the support of circular solutions for cyclical nuances. I will take the skills and methods learned this week with me for a very, very long time.

REFERENCE & INSPIRATION¶

I have learned alongside several bio-material artists. Each perspective provides it's own richness of scientific knowledge, historical context, geographical access and creative innovation. I have resonated with narratives connected to ephemera, mysticism, and making the invisible, visible. With this insight as a foundation, I embrace a range of resource collection, specificity of design perspective and cultural reference.

Viewing bio-materiality from an interconnected lens, as these conversations, practices and connections exist almost exclusively within institutional settings, tailored toward a sustainable industry and is positioned by the same spaces that created the contextual issues. I look forward to aligning with this practice in a connected and sincere way.

For my independent practice, I have been working with bio-composites and innoculation procedures for a year now. Pictured below are my garments made from algae bio-plastic casted onto gauze and SCOBY pigment inoculation after a 5 week period.

More Independent Research:

⤷ ‘SYTHE’

⤷ ‘SYLVENUS’

Other Bio-Material's:

⤷ Biomineralized Volcanic Sand

Biomineralisation takes place when the Sporosarcina pasteurii bacteria induce the formation of calcium carbonate, shaping and strengthening materials over time. The material itself is composed of volcanic sand, sodium alginate derived from seaweed, and bacterial cultures.

⤷ Pinesaw Leather

Sargassum can be processed into sodium alginate, a natural polymer, by washing, drying, and grinding the seaweed before dissolving it in an alkaline solution. This recipe includes Sodium alginate, pine tree sawdust, glycerine, and soybean oil.

⤷ Salt

The ‘Wall of Salt’ showcases the use of salt as a natural material for architectural scale. The salt panels were grown locally –utilising the Mediterranean climate and sea – at the crystallisation plant in the ancient salt fields of the Camargue. Use of salt and metal.

Other Resources:

⤷ Adornments from the Sea: Fish Skins, Heads, Bones, Vertebras, and Otoliths Used by Alaska Natives and Greenlandic Inuit

⤷ Microbial Nanocellulose Biotextiles for a Circular Materials Economy

⤷ Bioinspired Textiles; Observations from the Evaluation of a Novel Practice-Based Framework Linking Lessons on Sustainable/Circular Design from Biology to Textile Practice

Ingredients & Recipes¶

CRAFTED MATERIAL : BIOFOAM

One of the newest processes I learned was "Curing". This is used to dry bioyarns + bioplastics into hardened states once their casted or molded.

"CURING RECIPE (POST BIO-YARN, MOLD, + CAST)"

measure water - about 1L
add calcium chloride - 15%
once both are mixed, add your bio-yarn or pour into a spray bottle for casts [you can take bio-yarn out within a minute]
PRO TIP: for molds, it must be tapped onto a frame [in our case we used embroidery looms and makeshift frames]. otherwise it will shrink signifigantly. for yarn, it must be wrapped around az circular surface. seperate the threads so it doesn't become a huge blob. massage out kinks or parts that don't look like a continuous thread].
the solution has to be absorbed by both sides [especially when sprayed topically, it will take a while] so leave it out to dry or use dehydrator if you have access to one.

*TIP: for more elasticity, add glycerin

GROWN MATERIAL : CATTAIL FUR

GROWN MATERIAL : MYCELIUM LEATHER

"MYCELIUM PREPERATION RECIPE"

combine reishi mushroom block, hemp, coffee grinds, cattail leftovers into a fine mix [this was an experimental recipe]
add material of choice [we used both cardboard and jute cotton]
distribute mix throughout every corner
fold into desired shape you would like it to grow
wrap material in plastic wraps on choice, make sure all corners are covered
they need a lot of moisture and ability to breathe so make sure you have seran wrap or filter tape so poke some holes in order for the mycelium to breathe

Mycelium Needs Citation: Annie Ferlatte

Mycelium Process

GROWN MATERIAL : SCOBY LEATHER

FISH LEATHER, FISH SKIN FROM FOOD WASTE

Design

Get the fish [we received these from a local fishery]
De-flesh completely - it should be transparent by the time you’re complete
Descale - there should be no scales coming off the skin
Wash with soap and water [lukewarm]

Tanning is used to shift the material from a raw one to a durable one. This maintains the color, transparency and stiffens the skin.

Use Egg Yolk, Olive Oil, Soap and Water - about a teaspoon each
Soak then stretch it out for abput 15 minutes, the stretching ensures it is released throughout the material
Squeeze and drain, air dry over the weekend
Once it is revealed, wet then "work" the fabric, stretch it against a pole to rub it against. Add ethanol and glycrin for addition transparency.

TYPOLOGY + CLASSIFICATIONS¶

Material name	polymer	plastifier	liquid	emulsifier/filler
bio-yarn	12g - Alginate	40g - Glycerine	200ml Water	N/A
bio-plastic	24g - Alginate	80g - Glycerine	200ml Water	handfull of wool
bio-foil	96g - Gelatine	16g - Glycerine	200ml Water	cochineal calcium chloride