(When)
4 Months / 100%
October 2023 - February 2024
(Why)
The textile industry is a major contributor to the planetary boundaries being exceeded each year. Bacterial Filamentation as a regenerative design research project envisions a future in which circular materials are created with a minimal consumption of resources by living organisms, thereby counteracting the over-use of planetary resources.
(How)
In an automated process, a yarn-like fi lament made from bacterial cellulose is fermented, harvested, washed, dried and wound up. The fi lament can be used to produce textiles, which have been explored through (basket) weaving and show potential areas of application—reinforcements, upper materials, soles, but also any type of textile is thereby envisioned. Adding natural colourants to the fermentation process creates vibrant colors and expands the possibilities to design and rethink the common dyeing process.
(What)
Re-imagining the production of textile fibres by fermenting cellulose from bacteria in order to reduce reliance on monocultures,
deforestation and oil production. A machine is built to automately fi lament bacterial cellulose in a micro-scale, and envision
the scalability of the biofabrication.
Therefore my work addresses the resource-demanding production of textiles as a raw material,
and proposes a new way to autonomously biofabricate and design bacterial cellulose filaments on a macro-scale.
(Preview)
(Dyeing)
The production of textile fi bres from bacteria would reduce reliance on fossil fuels, resource-consuming monocultures and deforestation. It would off er a future in which reclaimed land is restored and material production is sustainable, even regenerati- ve. Directly fermenting colourful cellulose on natural dye sources could off er an alternative to the common dye process, reducing reliance on toxic chemicals and water.
