Living Materials

Journey

The living materials workshop gave a big introduction during its three days to learn more about biomaterials and their possible applications in the real world considering a hands-on in-class practice class with four types of crafted biomaterials and so two specific visits to interdisciplinary labs that try to intersect science and creativity.

On the first day, Petra gave us an introduction to different types of biomaterials, such as crafted and living ones. How they relate to the ecosystem, why they are important, and how they are being implemented and developed among different kinds of industries one of the most quoted examples, is fashion, and how difficult it can be to make these materials on large scales at a point where you can change de industry system and it's suppliers and logistics that have been built from years with fewer costs and more profit results. In sequence, she introduced us to four specific recipes of crafted and living materials using alginate, gelatine, calcium chloride, and kombucha, that were placed in specific rounded molds where the material could take even physical reflection by using special acrylic sheets.

On the second day, we visited the Hangar, a place located near Poblenou where artists, architects, designers, and any other independent researchers could apply for a residency to develop their projects while staying close to the installments and tools to realize their works while staying there, as an open space with individual rooms for different kinds uses, as sound, painting, electronic and even biological tools. The focus of this visit was dedicated to the Biolab and was guided by Ce Quimera, a woman who's been coordinating the laboratory for a time with the residents, she showed us the installations, tools, and projects that have been developed there, which already were connected to the Design with Others seminar in the last term, and at last, the philosophy of the lab, which doesnt necessarily was scientific since it mixed a mythical and humanized approach to its projects.

The last day was marked by the visit to the S-Biotica Lab, an allocated space by two biodesigners who've been developing projects around the area mixing different kinds of living materials and other aspects of biology with recognized and awarded ideas mixing fashion through wearables which explored fluids, a garment with growing plants and other objects that explore mycelium, from small ideas to even a surfboard that could be used. During the exploration of the space, we still had presentations about biodesign, stories of the projects developed by the designers and so a quick last workshop on Kombucha skin, where we had to allocate the mother juice and then replace it in a new space to grow scooby, and at last, the mixing mycelium with a specific component very close to earth on different kinds of shapes.

Soft Robot - Kombucha Skin and Gelatin Skeleton

Gelatin skeleton ingredients:

• 90 ml gelatine;

• 12 ml dish soap;

• 120 ml of water.

Kombucha skin ingredients:

• one liter of water;

• two chamomile sachets;

• 80g of sugar;

• 200 - 300 ml of mother water

Jaw Prosthesis - Alginate Skin

Ingredients:

• Alginate;

• Distilled water;

• Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) 1-5% (aqueous solution);

• Yellowish pigment.

Modular Syringe - Reactive Material

Ingredients:

• 25g of Agar-agar;

• Three soup spoons of corn starch;

• 200ml of water;

• Two tea spoons of glicerine;

• One tea spoon of white vinegar.

Reflection

During the Living Materials class, I had the opportunity to explore which kinds of materials I would like to integrate and use in my fabrication process considering my deep interest in replicating different levels of biological systems, such as organs and muscles. Through experiments on alginate and other materials being applied to different molds, I understood and discover within my experimental process my truly desire in implementing and discover more reactive materials that I could use to integrate and develop reactive structures with an intended purpose and functionality. Along with the experience, the alginate experiment made me though about the circulatory system and the quantity of water in the body that is used to make our body work and function properly considering that without it we would be dehydrated and die without enough quantity of liquid passing through our veins.

For future projects, I would like to explore how to replicate circulatory systems and embed them in a protected system that sustains the circulation of liquids and so the health of the material that is being used through the molds and shapes develop. This possibility made me research to understand more about hydrogel and how to embed DNA and specific microorganisms to print organs or muscles inside a bath that can consistently print different formats, but maybe developing a mold that can compress both materials when inserted at the same time can be an easier answer. Only my future experiments know what the future holds, but my direction towards living, reactive materials that replicate parts of our selves and other microorganisms is my ambition after this journey.