| dc.description.abstract | During the last decade designers have begun to fabricate new materials by using natural growth processes and reproducing living organisms such as bacteria, yeast, algae and fungi. This intersection of design and biology results in new materials provoked by humans but ultimately dependent on living nature to provide the foundational paradigms for production. In this project I take it a step further, and include the material during the whole design process by growing it instead of simply sourcing it “off the shelf”. Using relevant methods and theory in order to discover bacterial cellulose’s properties and to evoke its aesthetic values in an attempt to promote its social acceptance, and, hopefully, result in meaningful and sustainable design applications. As a designer I aspire to be an active maker of materials, and to encourage others to think of material as a primary design element instead of a final problem to be solved. By manipulating living material, can a more sustainable, biodegradable and environmentally positive design industry take form? | en_US |
