Rise and Fall of a Micropolis

As part of Faber Futures’ research to establish unique, craft-oriented methodologies for biofabricating bacteria dyes for textiles, we investigated how the length of a fermentation period might influence the process and outcome. In this project, bacteria were cultured with silk textiles for a total of 816 hours (34 days).

The project explores the implications of resource use in prolonged incubation, the aesthetic consequences of this new time frame and the resulting material properties of the substrate. The material artefact produced in the experiment allows us to consider the collaborative performance strategies between the designer and the organism – both the nature and mechanics of the apparent symbiosis between the two.