3. living materials

deformation control

For the crafted material proposal, the question formulated by the researcher was: taking into consideration that this type of materials can suffer deformation due to contraction if the drying process is accelerated, is it possible to control that contraction in order to achieve a determined shape?

The experiment consists in merging the same formula for bioplastic with and without the flexifier ingredient to achieve a material that can be formed in one single flat mould in two stages.

The mould into which the material is poured is a flat surface with CNC milling-carved canals in an aleatory pattern. First, the bioplastic formula without flexifier element (glycerol) was poured into the canals using a syringe for precision. After this first formula solidified, the same formula but this time with the flexifier element was poured into the whole surface to blend with the previous material.

Spirulina was added in both formulas to add colour and texture to the end result.


For the living material proposal the objective of the experiment had a similar concept. The objective was to test the possibility of giving a sheet made of kombucha scoby different levels of flexibility by mixing it with graphite to add rigidity.

For the experiment the scoby was liquified and mixed with two concentrations of graphite. These two batches were the control group for the experiment. For the first batch the amount was X and for the second 2X amount of graphite (X=1 tablespoon).

In order to test the possibility of giving a sheet of scoby differential rigidness, the scooby was liquified in a blender with no additives. Then spread on wood. Once the desired dimension was defined, the mixture of scoby with X amount of graphite was applied using a syringe in a wave line across the surface.

The three sheets were left to dry for two days.