Studio
Projects
Creative outputs from workshops, studio collaborations, and research projects.
Microbial Matters.
January/2022
This project explores bacterial cellulose’s ability to offer a sustainable material alternative to the creative industries. Nature has the ability to develop sophisticated ecosystems, through to microstructures, which infuse function and aesthetic to support life. Is it now time for us to learn from, and work with nature to develop alternative materials that can meet the needs of humanity, but at no further cost to the planet.
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Human demand and material consumption have overtaken our current planet’s available natural resources. This overuse, coupled with diminishing availability, means a serious decline in natural resources is being seen globally. However, the newly emerging field of bio-design seeks to reset this substantial imbalance by harnessing areas of nature and biology not yet truly discovered or understood. The intention is to break the linear cycle of take, make, waste, by applying circularity and embedding a regenerative system that nurtures humans and the planet symbiotically. Bacterial Cellulose is a leading example of bio-design in action with a multitude of potential.
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A kombucha SCOBY is the acronym used for ‘symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast’ and is formed through a fermentation process of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast, traditionally used to create sour foods and beverages. The bi-product generated from this process is a bacterial cellulose skin on the top of a successful static culture. With qualities similar to the feel of skin when freshly harvested, this material has a range of unique and interesting properties in both its wet and dry state.
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Bio-design is the practice of looking to and learning from nature and encompasses the use of natural biomass in conjunction with various processing methods with the results being classified as a Biomaterials.
Two processes were undertaken to cultivate symbiotically and in isolation. Primary cultivation employed a kitchen chemistry approach, using household objects and natural food sources. The secondary cultivation involved bio-fabrication of isolated bacterial strains in a controlled microbiology environment (with support of the De Montfort Microbiology Department).
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This project was completed in January 2022 as part of Sarah’s final MSc thesis. Products developed have been returned to the health to biodegrade and the research is provided as an open source resource.
The Student BioBox.
April/2021
The Student BioBox was an adapted version of the original BioBox project in collaboration with the Birmingham City University CoLab Project, part of the Architecture department. With a focus on new student engagement across product design, architecture, and interior architecture, at BA and MA level, through this programme we looked to educate and encourage practical problem solving based on local abundant materials through the concepts of circular and regenerative design.
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The creative industry meets research through an experimental approach to materials science. Earthli Projects through STEAMhouse, in collaboration with Zoe Powell from Materiom, the open source data platform, developed the BioBox, to encourage circular design principles and a disruptive approach to biomaterials development.
The BioBox facilitates a practical approach to materials science and circle design principles, enabling individuals to incorporate their own local waste streams, this maybe domestic or commercial, into new sustainable material developments. This progress is then shared through online open source frameworks to enable further evolution of bio recipes and their respective source materials.
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Taking the adapted approach to physical workshops which allows for wider participation with a lower bar to entry, students were encouraged to engage and learn through practice lead research with a focus on developing material solutions to real world waste issues.
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The BioBox postal kit was utilised, which included all natural ingredients to be used in conjunction with the recipes available on the Materiom platform.
The project work was collaborative, working in multidisciplinary groups to research, prototype, and deliver concept ideas in response to the circular design challenge. Lab sheets and testing examples were given to support at home material characterisation, all of which are important when considering commercial feasibility of new materials.
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The first iteration of this project was completed in June 2020 when The BioBox was in its initial test stage as part of the STEAMhouse X Materiom collaboration. This student led approach has continued to be developed as a way to aid the introduction and exploration of biomaterials development through accessible frameworks and research cultures.
Please get in touch to find out more about hosting a BioBox workshop or challenge led project with your student community.
The BioBox Project.
June/2020
The creative industry meets academia through an experimental approach to materials science. Earthli projects through STEAMhouse, a UK based makerspace, in collaboration with Materiom, the open source data platform, have developed the BioBox, to encourage circular design principles and a disruptive approach to biomaterials development.
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The creative industry meets research through an experimental approach to materials science. Earthli Projects through STEAMhouse, in collaboration with Zoe Powell from Materiom, the open source data platform, developed the BioBox, to encourage circular design principles and a disruptive approach to biomaterials development.
The BioBox facilitates a practical approach to materials science and circle design principles, enabling individuals to incorporate their own local waste streams, this maybe domestic or commercial, into new sustainable material developments. This progress is then shared through online open source frameworks to enable further evolution of bio recipes and their respective source materials.
This is an adapted approach to physical workshops allowing for wider participation with a lower bar to entry, encouraging all to engage and learn. It has the potential to be scaled, globally distributed and applied to various creative research projects at all levels, to cultivate relationships based on shared principles of openness and progress.
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The kit provides businesses with access to materials and sustainable recipes, encouraging an alternative methodology for materials sourcing, whilst using local waste streams as part of the development process. The BioBox then facilitates knowledge sharing through an accessible online framework of data collection and reporting, allowing both industry and academic researchers to access and build upon acquired knowledge.
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The BioBox is a postal kit, which includes all natural ingredients to be used in conjunction with the recipes available on the Materiom platform. The packaging is environmentally friendly and reusable where possible. Individuals receiving the kit go through an eight week programme as part of a small cohort where they are able to gain a better understanding of current material processing employed across various industries, whilst engaging with an online community to share and develop new ideas. Part of the course involves group sampling of the same recipe so comparable tests can be carried out on qualities such as tensile strength, wettability and heat resistance, all of which are important when considering commercial feasibility of new materials.
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The first iteration of this project was completed in June 2020 when The BioBox was in its initial test stage as part of the STEAMhouse X Materiom collaboration. This approach has continued to be developed as a way to aid the introduction and exploration of biomaterials development through accessible frameworks and research cultures.
This project looks to actively challenge our consumption habits through education and develop responsible design as a key component when measuring successful design.
Please get in touch to find out more about hosting a BioBox workshop with your community.
