mydia

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269219

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Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS : existing completed examples

Project title

mydia

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mydia is a material design research project by the artist and designer Fara Peluso, in collaboration with Art Laboratory Berlin and the Applied and Molecular Microbiology laboratory of the Institute of Biotechnology of TU Berlin. The research was part of the residency program for the multidisciplinary project Mind the Fungi where Peluso focused her work on developing a new organic material, based on fungi and algae extracts, and questioning how it could be used for different applications.

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Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

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Please provide a summary of your project

mydia1 is a material design research project by the artist and designer Fara Peluso, developed in collaboration with Art Laboratory Berlin and the Applied and Molecular Microbiology laboratory of the Institute of Biotechnology of TU Berlin. The research was part of two year residency program for the collaborative and multidisciplinary project Mind the Fungi where curators, scientists, artists and citizen scientists were involved to take actively part to the research of local mushrooms and current fungal biotechnology, moving from the STEM to STEAM concept (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Art). As artist in residency Fara Peluso focused her research on developing a new organic material based on fungi and algae extracts, in the specific the diatom powder, questioning how the “mydia” material could be used for different applications, from 2D to 3D dimensions, from textile to sculpting. During the research period a DIY protocol of cultivation and material processing was developed, in collaboration with the scientists from the TU Institute, which has been also publicly presented during the online workshop “Material Drive Design Workshop. Sculpting with Bioplastic Textile” by Fara Peluso and curated by Art Laboratory Berlin. (1)The name is derived from mycelium and diatoms. It depicts how it is based equally on both materials. The name is written in lower cases, to focus on the character of sustainable usage of the product and its accessibility, not the innovation characteristics.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met

The collaboration with the scientists fundamentally supported the development of the project confirming what Peluso was investigating in years of speculative design practice, especially with algae. She learned many scientific techniques and processes during the Mind the Fungi residency, working with mycelium microorganisms and focusing her research on the topic of “co-existence”. She decided to explore what this term really means, inspired by the existence in nature of many forms of coexistence and symbiosis. Investigating lichens and their symbiosis between algae and fungi, Peluso wanted to translate a framework of co-existence into artistic and design research for developing a new composite material. Thanks to the invaluable knowledge and technical support of the Applied Molecular Microbiology lab, Peluso ran her experiments based on investigating how algae and mycelium extracts could be the main elements for the development of a new organic material. The process and the main idea behind it was constantly and scientifically monitored by the all involved actors; artist, scientists and curators. After several tests the all team was positively satisfied with the results and they decided to develop a DIY protocol enabling also the public to use it and experiment with it on their own. One of the initial main goals of Mind the Fungi was the development of mycelium based biomaterials from local tree mushrooms. Peluso’s mydia went further than the core scientific team which was studying mycelium only materials. A disadvantage of a solely mycelium based material is that it is not water resistant. But by adding algae it becomes hydrophobic, thus making it a much better replacement for petroleum based products (plastics). Yet it remains biodegradable and thus highly sustainable.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met

The “mydia” material was conceived to be experienced in different ways and produced through DIY practice. The first step was learning the scientific techniques, focusing on observing and cultivating the mycelium organism, while already having the vision of developing a new material. The material research was focused on studying the experience linked to the material sensoriality and its characteristics, before to start a design and aesthetic research, leading to a final product. The approach was to understand how employ a biomass production process into a design practice, thinking always to the relationship between the production and the non-renewable natural resources and aiming to propose an alternative solution. Part of Mind the Fungi program were the forest excursions in the Berlin Brandenburg area where members, together with citizens, took part searching for local tree mushrooms, collecting and isolating them with the aim to grow, inside the laboratory environment, their microscopic filament structure, known as mycelium. The mycelium was studied and cultivated not only to identify the species present locally, but also to define a biomass production process to create an organic material suitable for different applications. The scientific process chosen for cultivation was a liquid culture technique which promptly led to the final goal; how to adopt the technique to produce a bioplastic textile. Having defined the techniques and the final goals, a DIY protocol was developed, replacing the less accessible scientific procedures and ensuring the inclusiveness that has always been one of the primary goals of the project. As a final result from “mydia” research, Peluso developed a sculpture made of her material, proving how “mydia” can be used for different applications, from textile to three dimensional structures with different shapes. In these different forms the material attracts the by its innate flexibility and versatility.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion and how these have been met

For the research project “mydia” the approachability and the opening of scientific and artistic practices to the public has been a crucial part, especially because the DIY methodology it's a practice that Peluso has been exploring for years. Conceiving the DIYmethodology as a research and a creative tool it can vouch for a further success which leads to an inclusiveness character. Thereby the drafting of DIY protocols and the running of a design workshop in collaboration with Art Laboratory Berlin were two important initiatives opening to a public presentation and an online discussion about Peluso's research and the citizen science project Mind the Fungi. Peluso discussed her research on the methodologies of Material Drive Design(https://artlaboratory-berlin.org/events/mind-the-fungi-material-driven-design-workshop/ )1 learning how to build a new material by studying and using a living organism like mycelium. Through a discussion about the features, the possibilities and the limits of mycelium-based materials the participants reflected on growing, developing a new material and building 3D objects, based on the same protocol that Peluso had followed to produce a new biofilm composite based on mycelium and algae. The workshop was streamed online to more than 180 visitors from North and South America, Europe and India and has since been viewed by over 900 people. It was an important international extension of the already strong local network  that contributed to enriched the inclusivity aspect of the main Mind the Fungi project (1) »Material Driven Design (MDD): A Method to Design for Material Experiences«, in International Journal of Design 9, 2 (2015), S. 35 – 54.Karana, Elvin et al.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

“Mydia”, together with Mind the Fungi project, is an example of how art and design can build bridges between science and the public to develop greater knowledge, create accessibility and facilitate the processes proposing sustainable solutions. Looking at the methodologies of 'Growing Design' and 'Materia Driving Design' previously adopted by specialized designers and researchers1, the “mydia” research contributed towards creating an opportunity where the co-creation with nature has been not only a form of expression, but rather an epiphany on the contrast between the production and the use of limited natural resources. This attitude has fostered a crossing of art, design, architecture and the natural sciences, proposing new solutions for the conception, the manufacturing process, and the use of new materials, enabling a reduction in related climate change effects and the creation of more low-cost spaces. In this way the scientific research on the mycelium, focused on observing the organism and the understanding how to optimize the cultivation process, has been developed in the same time with the design research, where studying the material's features, exploring new shapes to allocate for several applications, was the main goals. Peluso has proved that “mydia” can be mainly manufactured in two ways for the creation of both a bioplastic textile and a three-dimensional object. This to show that, from these two main shapes, 2D and 3D forms, it's possible to explore more with “mydia” and conceive a new “generation” of objects. Furthermore thanks to the inclusiveness aspect of Mind the Fungi project Peluso had the possibility to demonstrate publicly her artistic practice, showing how, through a DIY approach, people can reproduce a similar process of creation, following a protocol and using tools from our daily lives. This in turn helped encourage both local and international communities involved in researching and producing mycelium based materials. (1) Karana, Elvin

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project

Together with Art Laboratory Berlin, Peluso could address a more multidisciplinary aspect to her research project. Thanks to the public activities organized in parallel with the two year residency program, the relationship with the citizens has always been part of Peluso's work, where even a simple meeting in the forest had a great value and where Peluso started to investigate the co-existence concept. The topic of co-existence has been experienced in many ways by all the main actors /as well as the public) in theMind the Fungi project. Thanks to the “Walk and Talks” of Theresa Schubert (https://artlaboratory-berlin.org/events/mind-the-fungi-walk-and-talk/) Peluso investigated local forms of life, such as tree mushrooms and lichens, observing how the public was ready to receive new knowledge on fungal biomaterials. At Top Lab in Berlin, together with Alessandro Volpato, Tuçe Erel and Flavia Barragan, Peluso observed and experimented, for the first time in involving citizens in mycelium cultivation through a DIY methodology (https://artlaboratory-berlin.org/events/mind-the-fungi-mushroom-cultivation-courses/). Without these and similar meetings the development of a DIY protocol for the “mydia” material research workshop would not have happened. Peluso decided that the public couldn't be just a final recipient, but rather should be an active part of the research and design processes. Finally two exhibitions at Berlin’s Futurium (House of the Future) extended a wide public outreach. From start to finish Mind the Fungi has been a project that involved the public at every step, creating a vibrant community of fungal biomaterial enthusiasts, both locally and internationally.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project

The “mydia” material has been developed through a design process where the artist and designer Fara Peluso was mainly focused on understanding the material and its sensorial experiences aimed to drive the further research and the design steps towards a suitable product. Only this predetermined attitude has guaranteed a sustainable character to the process and the nature of the final object. Also important has been to detect aspects of “the commons” and originality to reach an acceptance from the public. The positive and commonly recognizable characteristics of the material “mydia” are those of flexibility and impermeability ( water resistance), a similarity to rubber and the suitability for casting moulding technique. Furthermore Peluso has noticed that the material could be considered part of the next smart material generation, as the shape memory materials, as its performability and some features are affected by temperature change. The originality of “mydia” is placed in its applicability linked with a product, for example it can be used for producing bioplastic sheets or textile for packaging purposes, its availability to be shaped into tridimensional forms for sculpting or similar practices and its easily reproducibility through a DIY methodology enabling the users to create their own mydia material. Indeed for Peluso the idea of  Future Scenarios has always been present in her practice, a possible reality where everyone can create their own easily disposable (and sustainable) materials. Thereby “mydia” also actively takes part in a circular economy, becoming a possible solution for the reduction of climate change and the growing crisis of environmental pollution from petroleum based plastics.

Please explain how the project led to results or learnings which could be transferred to other interested parties

After the two years of research and design during the Mind the Fungi residency the "mydia" material it's ready to be further elaborated and improved concerning its suitability as packaging, as prototyping or modelling material. Its multidisciplinary nature and easy reproducibility could facilitate the interest of more specialized figures in material science and engineering and continue the study which will settle the base for a research aimed to make improvements regarding the strength and durability of "mydia" material. Microscope cellular scaffolds could be implemented inside testing more the material and detecting new performative aspects where the structure and the impermeability could be achieved and performed at the same time for one single application. Furthermore,"mydia"  being a shape memory material, able to keep a high flexibility degree and also available for manufacture by a moulding casting technique, a study linked with the bio 3D printing could explore the possibility of creating light spatial structures. Nevertheless it is reasonable that the way the "mydia" material it is conceived and experienced, always linked with the context, can lead and contribute to create a new generation of multidisciplinary practices, of objects and techniques. Finally the importance of DIY techniques in mydia’s production make it accessible to a much wider group, including designers, artists and even the larger public.

Is an evaluation report or any relevant independent evaluation source available?

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the Awards more than once under the same category and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.