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BIO ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS
At BIOD, we collaborate with a diverse group of visionary artists and designers who explore the intersection of biology, design, and sustainability. These creators push the boundaries of material innovation, speculative futures, and ecological storytelling, shaping a world where art and science merge. Each project is a dialogue—between nature and technology, tradition and experimentation, the present and the future.
Meet the artists and designers redefining biodesign with us.
Artists and Designers
Diane Scherer |
Grass roots
Visual artist Diana Scherer collaborated for many years with science. Interweaving is part of her intricate study of plant root systems. The roots of grass are harnessed and transformed. In this study Diana presents a nuanced exploration of humanity's relationship with nature and the eternal pull to shape and control it.
The innovative material research is a sustainable textile. The delicate white tendrils of grass in her hands might as well be strands of silk, while the sturdy yellow fibers of daisy roots recall the texture of wool. Nature's inherent patterns form the blueprint for her creations, echoing the belief that certain motifs and patterns in nature resonate universally.
About Diana Scherer
Born in Lauingen, Germany, and now rooted in Amsterdam, Diana Scherer is a beacon in the art world. An alumna of the Rietveld Academy, her work spans photography, material research, and even plant-root weaving. With exhibitions from the Textile Museum Tilburg to the National Museum of China in Beijing, Scherer's works have graced global stages. Notably, her "Rootbound # 2" – a testament to nature's elegance, features prominently at the Victoria & Albert Museum in both London and Shenzhen. Her accolades include the 2016 New Material Fellow award by Het Nieuwe Instituut, a testament to her groundbreaking work in "Interwoven".
The innovative material research is a sustainable textile. The delicate white tendrils of grass in her hands might as well be strands of silk, while the sturdy yellow fibers of daisy roots recall the texture of wool. Nature's inherent patterns form the blueprint for her creations, echoing the belief that certain motifs and patterns in nature resonate universally.
About Diana Scherer
Born in Lauingen, Germany, and now rooted in Amsterdam, Diana Scherer is a beacon in the art world. An alumna of the Rietveld Academy, her work spans photography, material research, and even plant-root weaving. With exhibitions from the Textile Museum Tilburg to the National Museum of China in Beijing, Scherer's works have graced global stages. Notably, her "Rootbound # 2" – a testament to nature's elegance, features prominently at the Victoria & Albert Museum in both London and Shenzhen. Her accolades include the 2016 New Material Fellow award by Het Nieuwe Instituut, a testament to her groundbreaking work in "Interwoven".
Daniel Elkayam | Algae
YAMA is an algae-based biopolymer. The biopolymer made from algae is composed of 100% renewable resources and has great potential for industrial production. The process involves boiling the substance with agar-agar and various natural oils before casting it onto an absorbent surface to aid in drying. This results in the formation of a thin, flexible sheet that can be recycled at the end of its life cycle. The material can be used as raw material for new sheets or allowed to biodegrade. Additionally, it can be produced in various shades of green and levels of translucence.
Yuli Meroz | Fruit Peels
A compostable bioplastic material, made of fruit peels, mostly orange, pulp, and seeds combined with natural oils. The work with the material starts in its most natural form, with techniques of cutting and connecting the peels, and proceeds to more industrial processes of shredding and moulding into sheets.
Citrus fruit has a high percentage of pectin- a thickening agent used to create a jell texture in the food and medical industries and is crucial in creating this type of sheet. The level of elasticity, thickness, texture, transparency, and color can be controlled by changing the ratio between the material components and using different drying methods. Additional processes can be performed on the material - such as laser cutting, vacuum forming, or etching. The material is a by-product of the juice and fruit industry.
Julia Lohman | Algae
In 2013, designer Julia Lohmann founded the Department of Seaweed, a transdisciplinary group of artists, designers, scientists, and sea-lovers, to collectively develop seaweed as a sustainable material for making. Besides researching and developing algae as a material with the potential of replacing leather, textile, wood, paper and plastic, the Department of Seaweed creates future scenarios based on the various perspectives of its multidisciplinary network.
In the Kombu Ahtola, kelp is used as a membrane to cover a rattan structure. The drying seaweed takes on a convex shape and thereby deforms, tightens, and stabilises the entire structure. An Ahtola is the mythical underwater palace of the Finnish sea goddesses. Lohmann: ‘Kelp is an ecosystem-builder that supports underwater organisms both big and small and supplies us with our oxygen. It can also give shelter to the deities of the ocean – or is it the deity itself?’
About Julia Lohman
Julia Lohman is a designer and researcher based in Helsinki. She investigates and critiques the ethical and material value systems underpinning our relationship with flora and fauna. Julia’s research interests include critical practice and transition-design, biomaterials, collaborative making, museums and residencies, embodied cognition, and practice as research. She is Professor of Practice in Contemporary Design at Aalto University, Finland, and directs her eponymous Helsinki-based design practice. Julia studied at the Royal College of Art, where she has also taught and completed a collaborative PhD scholarship with the Victoria & Albert Museum. She established the Department of Seaweed while a designer-in-residence at the V&A in 2013.
In the Kombu Ahtola, kelp is used as a membrane to cover a rattan structure. The drying seaweed takes on a convex shape and thereby deforms, tightens, and stabilises the entire structure. An Ahtola is the mythical underwater palace of the Finnish sea goddesses. Lohmann: ‘Kelp is an ecosystem-builder that supports underwater organisms both big and small and supplies us with our oxygen. It can also give shelter to the deities of the ocean – or is it the deity itself?’
About Julia Lohman
Julia Lohman is a designer and researcher based in Helsinki. She investigates and critiques the ethical and material value systems underpinning our relationship with flora and fauna. Julia’s research interests include critical practice and transition-design, biomaterials, collaborative making, museums and residencies, embodied cognition, and practice as research. She is Professor of Practice in Contemporary Design at Aalto University, Finland, and directs her eponymous Helsinki-based design practice. Julia studied at the Royal College of Art, where she has also taught and completed a collaborative PhD scholarship with the Victoria & Albert Museum. She established the Department of Seaweed while a designer-in-residence at the V&A in 2013.
Avia Revivi | Squeezed orange residues
O-SOW is a material that manages waste throughout its entire life cycle from production to use and disposal. It is made from squeezed orange residues, aloe vera leaves, and plant seeds. It serves as a toilet paper substitute, leaving zero waste behind, and under optimal conditions, even nourishing the soil and growing plants.
It was discovered through motivation to find an environmental alternative to toilet paper. Among its characteristics, it is strong, flexible, soft, dissolves quickly, and liquefies in water, making it a viable alternative to different materials. In different quantities, it can be thicker, stronger, or softer, thus catering to a range of needs. It biodegrades within three to five days due to the rapid decomposition of the citrus, aided by the presence of active E. coli bacteria, which are found in human feces and accelerate the composting process.
It was discovered through motivation to find an environmental alternative to toilet paper. Among its characteristics, it is strong, flexible, soft, dissolves quickly, and liquefies in water, making it a viable alternative to different materials. In different quantities, it can be thicker, stronger, or softer, thus catering to a range of needs. It biodegrades within three to five days due to the rapid decomposition of the citrus, aided by the presence of active E. coli bacteria, which are found in human feces and accelerate the composting process.
Aleksey Manukyan | Soil
Land artist Aleksey Manukyan is a gatherer of everything that surrounds him. From feathers on the floor to dust in the corners, dried flowers in autumn, and soil from the farms, he collects all he sees in his city, Gyumri, in Armenia. Recognizing that precious natural materials can be over-farmed and excessively cultivated, Aleksey acknowledges the shifting landscape of Earth's resources. This awareness drives him to create with an emphasis on the present abundance, ensuring his art is both sustainable and a reflection of current environmental realities.
Endless Earth
Especially for the Larnaca BioDesign Festival, Aleksey was invited as an artist in residence to create work with local material. The red soil of Cyprus immediately took his interest, and he created pieces that represent the land. Through a process of drying and mixing with other materials, the works take shape but retain the reference to the land of Cyprus.
Flag: Bees for Being
In his garden in Gyumri, Aleksey has set up bee houses. He places fabric inside, and the bees, in their natural behavior, weave through this material. This results in a flag that showcases the synergy between humans and nature. The fabric, though human-made, is transformed by the bees in human-crafted beehives. It becomes a symbol of collaboration between nature's processes and human intervention.
About Manukyan
Aleksey Manukyan graduated from the Gyumri State Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. He co-founded unique artistic platforms such as the Gyumri Pad Val Gallery and the Art Zone open-air studio. As a pivotal member of the “5th Floor” creative group, his commitment to art in Gyumri is evident.
In 2010, Aleksey transitioned from orthopedic device design to explore forgotten urban relics of Gyumri. Through his lens, discarded urban elements like fountains, old cars, and street trash aren't just refuse but symbols. These symbols echo the socio-economic desolation of Gyumri, a city grappling with its post-Soviet, post-earthquake, and post-
Endless Earth
Especially for the Larnaca BioDesign Festival, Aleksey was invited as an artist in residence to create work with local material. The red soil of Cyprus immediately took his interest, and he created pieces that represent the land. Through a process of drying and mixing with other materials, the works take shape but retain the reference to the land of Cyprus.
Flag: Bees for Being
In his garden in Gyumri, Aleksey has set up bee houses. He places fabric inside, and the bees, in their natural behavior, weave through this material. This results in a flag that showcases the synergy between humans and nature. The fabric, though human-made, is transformed by the bees in human-crafted beehives. It becomes a symbol of collaboration between nature's processes and human intervention.
About Manukyan
Aleksey Manukyan graduated from the Gyumri State Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. He co-founded unique artistic platforms such as the Gyumri Pad Val Gallery and the Art Zone open-air studio. As a pivotal member of the “5th Floor” creative group, his commitment to art in Gyumri is evident.
In 2010, Aleksey transitioned from orthopedic device design to explore forgotten urban relics of Gyumri. Through his lens, discarded urban elements like fountains, old cars, and street trash aren't just refuse but symbols. These symbols echo the socio-economic desolation of Gyumri, a city grappling with its post-Soviet, post-earthquake, and post-
Shahar Livne | Blood
In most slaughterhouses, blood is drained into the sewers and waterways or re-used as a colorant for meat. Inspired by the construction and de-construction of living subjects in the food industry, Shahar Livne developed a new handmade “bio-leather” by using fat and bones driven materials from the waste streams of slaughterhouses in the Netherlands and utilizing the wasted blood as a colorant and a plasticizer.
By using nature-given resources and upcycling leftovers from those industries we want to make a point for more tolerance, open-minded thinking by raising fascination, curiosity, highlighting the wasteful and disrespectful treatment of animals and natural resources.
About Shahar Livne
Shahar Livne is an award winning conceptual material designer located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Shahar's lifelong fascinations in nature, biology, science, and philosophy developed into intuitive material experimentation way of work during her degree studies at the Design Academy Eindhoven. Shahar's body of work focuses on conceptual material research in a multi-leveled methodology, bringing to life unique stories through objects and installations centered around materials as carriers of narratives.
By using nature-given resources and upcycling leftovers from those industries we want to make a point for more tolerance, open-minded thinking by raising fascination, curiosity, highlighting the wasteful and disrespectful treatment of animals and natural resources.
About Shahar Livne
Shahar Livne is an award winning conceptual material designer located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Shahar's lifelong fascinations in nature, biology, science, and philosophy developed into intuitive material experimentation way of work during her degree studies at the Design Academy Eindhoven. Shahar's body of work focuses on conceptual material research in a multi-leveled methodology, bringing to life unique stories through objects and installations centered around materials as carriers of narratives.
UBQ Materials | Thermo-plastic material from waste
The problem of waste is ubiquitous; therefore, the solutions must be as well. UBQ Materials converts unsorted landfill-destined household waste, an entirely heterogenic material that contains vegetation, paper, plastics, food leftovers, diapers, and other organic streams – into a homogenous thermo-plastic material - UBQ™. A climate-positive, cost-competitive, and fully recyclable raw material. The material is used as a sustainable alternative to oil-based resins and other conventional raw materials. Can be applied in a variety of technologies such as injection to compression moulding through to extrusion and
3D printing.
3D printing.
Elina Hadjinicola | Bees Wax
Bees, working together as a swarm, possess cognitive abilities despite their tiny brains.
Elina’s bee collaborators perform complex architectural calculations, measuring temperature, stresses, and structural loads within the constraints of the local climate, hive size, and surrounding flora.
Collaborating with her beekeeper father, Elina delves into the essence of 'biodesign' from a non-human perspective. On the Cypriot Green Line, bees gather pollen from both sides, uniting a divided country as one 'home'. The work, shaped through this process, stands as a testament to their collaboration.
About Elina Hadjinicola
Elina Hadjinicola’s artistic practice results in temporary, procedural configurations where materials develop uncanny lives of their own. Working with beeswax, she explores animals as producers of material culture and responds through the precarity of the material on issues as climate change. The material’s intrinsic properties and its chance to react on its environment, are setting it free on themselves. Wax is solid, but it may be easily liquified. As temporary and malleable is today the state of animals -and specifically the bees- under extinction, as temporary is wax.
Elina’s bee collaborators perform complex architectural calculations, measuring temperature, stresses, and structural loads within the constraints of the local climate, hive size, and surrounding flora.
Collaborating with her beekeeper father, Elina delves into the essence of 'biodesign' from a non-human perspective. On the Cypriot Green Line, bees gather pollen from both sides, uniting a divided country as one 'home'. The work, shaped through this process, stands as a testament to their collaboration.
About Elina Hadjinicola
Elina Hadjinicola’s artistic practice results in temporary, procedural configurations where materials develop uncanny lives of their own. Working with beeswax, she explores animals as producers of material culture and responds through the precarity of the material on issues as climate change. The material’s intrinsic properties and its chance to react on its environment, are setting it free on themselves. Wax is solid, but it may be easily liquified. As temporary and malleable is today the state of animals -and specifically the bees- under extinction, as temporary is wax.
Liat Danieli | Bacterial cellulose
Leather-like material is produced from bacterial cellulose by growing bacteria in a process similar to that of growing yeast. The bacteria grow by eating sugar and liquids.The material obtained from the growth is viscous and flexible in the form of a sheet. The size and thickness of the sheet are affected according to the growing conditions and time. After drying, the material becomes harder, flexible, and can be slightly transparent, depending on its thickness. Each of the samples has a different level of flexibility/stiffness due to different material processing.
Yael Mordechay | Cigarette butts
Cigarette butts have become part of the landscape and are the most common trash found in urban spaces and on beaches. The cigarette butt is made of a synthetic material called cellulose acetate, which absorbs many toxins during smoking. The cigarette waste that reaches the environment contains nicotine, heavy metals, and other chemicals that seep into the soil and water and harm animals and plants.
This research explores the potential of recycling waste material, focusing specifically on cigarette butts. The result is a new recycled material that highlights the potential of what we typically consider as trash. The new material is crisp, water-resistant, and has a plastic-like texture. Its color is influenced by the amount of toxins that the cigarette filter absorbs during smoking.
This research explores the potential of recycling waste material, focusing specifically on cigarette butts. The result is a new recycled material that highlights the potential of what we typically consider as trash. The new material is crisp, water-resistant, and has a plastic-like texture. Its color is influenced by the amount of toxins that the cigarette filter absorbs during smoking.
Marjan van Aubel | Timber and Bio-resin
The Well Proven Chair is a mixture between design and sustainability. In a world where 50-80% of timber becomes waste during regular manufacturing, the duo sought to challenge the status quo and redefine waste.
Venturing into the chemical realm, van Aubel and Shaw unveiled a reaction: when timber residue unites with bio-resin, the it transforms into a robust foam, doubling in volume. The result? A featherweight, and moldable substance strengthened by the fibres of the wood fragments Using a variety of different sized shavings collected from workshop floors and mixing with coloured dye, they were able to create a colourful, lightweight and moldable material that is reinforced by the fibres in the hardwood shavings. In WellProven Chair, the mixture expands around the leg structure, leaving behind evidence of its exuberant material behaviour once it sets.
About Marjan van Aubel Studio
Marjan van Aubel Studio is an award-winning innovative solar design practice that brings solar energy into daily life. Designing for a positive future through combining the fields of sustainability, design and technology.
The studio is creating lasting change through solar design, integrating solar power seamlessly into our environments such as in buildings and objects. With the goal to make solar power more accessible for everyone. Most notable works are Sunne, Current Table, Power Plant and the roof of the Netherlands Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Venturing into the chemical realm, van Aubel and Shaw unveiled a reaction: when timber residue unites with bio-resin, the it transforms into a robust foam, doubling in volume. The result? A featherweight, and moldable substance strengthened by the fibres of the wood fragments Using a variety of different sized shavings collected from workshop floors and mixing with coloured dye, they were able to create a colourful, lightweight and moldable material that is reinforced by the fibres in the hardwood shavings. In WellProven Chair, the mixture expands around the leg structure, leaving behind evidence of its exuberant material behaviour once it sets.
About Marjan van Aubel Studio
Marjan van Aubel Studio is an award-winning innovative solar design practice that brings solar energy into daily life. Designing for a positive future through combining the fields of sustainability, design and technology.
The studio is creating lasting change through solar design, integrating solar power seamlessly into our environments such as in buildings and objects. With the goal to make solar power more accessible for everyone. Most notable works are Sunne, Current Table, Power Plant and the roof of the Netherlands Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
TIPA Compostable Packaging
TIPA develops fully compostable flexible packaging solutions for the food and fashion industries. The company offers single and multi-layer films and laminates made from compostable polymer blends that mimic conventional plastic (polyethylene and polypropylene) in terms of versatility, printability, sealability, transparency, and protective barrier, but fully biodegrade in a home or industrial composter within a few months, leaving no contaminated plastic residues behind.
Recyllose | Recycled Cellulose
Recyllose ("Recycled Cellulose") is a renewable material produced from recovered sewage solids using sewage recycling technology. Large corporations can use the substance for various purposes, including as feedstock for manufacturing bioplastics, electricity and heat sources, paper additives, and energy-efficient biofuel. The sewage recycling system (SRSTM) functions as a sewage mining device that transforms solid waste into a new substance. The method can minimize sludge and greenhouse gas emissions while also producing a renewable resource, among other environmental advantages.
Prof. Daniel Mandler | Salt bricks
Very large quantities of table salt, i.e., sodium chloride, estimated at 20 million tons, accumulate every year in the Dead Sea as a by-product of the production of Potash. Professor Daniel Mandler from the Institute of Chemistry of the Hebrew University has shown that this salt can be used to manufacture construction bricks through a simple high-pressure compression process carried out at room temperature. The bricks, which are made through a green process with a low carbon footprint and contain 95% salt, are envisioned to replace cement which is the second largest industrial pollutant (the cement industry emits 8% of the global carbon dioxide mission). Salt bricks have many advantages such
as being extremely strong (5-10 times more than concrete), having antibacterial activity, excellentinsulation, and lower density than concrete.
as being extremely strong (5-10 times more than concrete), having antibacterial activity, excellentinsulation, and lower density than concrete.
Naama Nicotra | Algae and Agar
"Toast it" is an edible flavor sheet created using only natural ingredients. The main ingredient and binding material is agar agar, which is produced from algae. The designer has developed a method in which the material is poured and the flavors are adapted to it. The sheets are transparent, can be soldered and sealed, edible, and soluble in boiling water.
By using the production method, it is possible to control the materials and use them for producing graphics. The flavor sheets can be put as a topping in a sandwich or used as a seasoning and added to cooking. The material can also be used as an edible packaging material for food.
Balena |
Compostable, biobased thermoplastic
Balena is a material science company, developing innovative compostable, biobased thermoplastic materials, replacing toxic, fossil fuel-based materials in consumer goods. Products made of BioCir®flex responsibly reach their end-of-life through complete decomposition and biodegradation in industrial compost facilities, completing a sustainable circular process.
The materials are suitable through injection molding, extrusion, and 3D printing. Description of the shoe: Balena’s R&D concept of fully compostable shoe: created using its own biodegradable, biobased, recyclable BioCir material.
The materials are suitable through injection molding, extrusion, and 3D printing. Description of the shoe: Balena’s R&D concept of fully compostable shoe: created using its own biodegradable, biobased, recyclable BioCir material.
Shushanik Droshakiryan |
Algae and wool
Weaving history with innovation, SŪF connects to the roots of the artists ancient traditions and biomaterial deisgn. Semi-transparent, with seaweed and raw wool, this bio-garment is a bridge between the human form and nature.
A total of 96 hours were spent while placing the wool fibers inside algae bioplastic. SŪF is a “fragile armor dress” manifesting the strength of the vulnerable Feminine. SŪF is a raw material, a concept, and a process of making. When you watch this garment, imagine it as a layer, a surface covering a female nude, where SŪF functions as an “organic layer” reconnecting the human body to mother nature.
About Shushanik Droshakiryan
Shushanik Droshakiryan, a creative researcher and garment designer, studied at the Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts. Delving deep into character-driven costume design, she continued at the TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies. With projects spanning from 2D animation to origami-influenced designs, Shushanik's approach remains rooted in innovation. Her experience with experimental theatre further adds up to her understanding of set and character dynamics, making the balance between design and storytelling.
About Shushanik Droshakiryan
Shushanik Droshakiryan, a creative researcher and garment designer, studied at the Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts. Delving deep into character-driven costume design, she continued at the TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies. With projects spanning from 2D animation to origami-influenced designs, Shushanik's approach remains rooted in innovation. Her experience with experimental theatre further adds up to her understanding of set and character dynamics, making the balance between design and storytelling.
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