Living Colour

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Client Name

self-initiated

Year

2016 – today

Collab With

Studio Ilfa Siebenhaar

Project Scope

dyeing textiles with bacteria

Living Colour is an experimental biodesign research project exploring the aesthetic possibilities of natural and sustainable textile dyeing with pigment-producing bacteria.

Some bacteria produce pigments that are biodegradable and friendly to humans, animals, and the environment. Bacterial dyes can pose an alternative to toxic textile dyes.

With our “live dyeing” method – where we cultivate bacteria on fabric – we capture the bacterial life cycle, resulting in visual growth patterns, unique to each dye batch.

Living Colour is both artisanal and highly innovative. We intentionally remove all redundant steps in the dyeing process; we don’t use toxic chemicals, little water, low temperatures and no textile treatments. This thoughtful process results in vibrant colours with natural longevity, challenging industry colour standards.

It is a labour of love between man and microorganism, suitable for experimental designs, like our collaboration with PUMA and The Exploded View.

Growing bacteria as a dye factory can lead to a more sustainable way to colour the world.

Cymatics Research

creating patterns with sound

Living Colour started in 2016 with cymatics research. We explored the possibilities of growing bacteria in patterns by exposing them to sound frequencies. The resonance of sound frequencies is known to create geometric patterns in matter. This principle is called cymatics.

In solid matter, these beautiful patterns are named Chladni figures and Faraday waves in liquids.

The cymatics research is published in an open-source book made by Laura, available at Issuu. For more background info, also read the blog post.