During this week we didn't actually had a class and it was more focused on solve doubts and try to make a plan for the last weeks were we'll need to fully develop our projects.
Contextualized the final project, Bioborg.
Weekly task
The main objective of this week is to begin focusing on your final projects and interventions, defining the scope and developing a project plan for the rest of the course.
Some of the questions you should reflect on it and answer in your website:
• What will it do?
A symbiotic system where the spirulina will be stored in various double skin like wearables in order to survive thanks to the body heat, sunlight and the air pumps triggered by the body movements. To be able to bio-remediate C02 on the move.The suit would also be visually supported by prints generated through an interactive interface following the rules of algorithms corresponding to laws of nature, which would be printed on fabric with spirulina ink.Or when harvesting the spirulina, the filtering cloth will be a mesh with a vinyl cutting print to use the screen printing technique and generate patterns in the strain process.
• Who’s done what beforehand?
There are some similar projects that has tackled the concept of cohabiting with other organisms like:
BiotaBeings
Bodymimicry
Careta
Referring to the design of a double skin, I like the reference of Neri Oxman :
Carpal skin
Hybrid materials
Prints and Micro algae paint:
Laboratorium
Article
Natrual pigments
Automatic drawing
• What will you design?
Soft robotics” molds to have the spirulina inside.
The tubing system and aerification.Interface computational drawing - prints
Stencils for prints. The new spirulina Ink. If necessary, an electronic system to pump the spirulina.
• What materials and components will be used?
Spirulina, Tubes, Silicone, Fabric, Air pumps (mechanical or automatized), valves, 3D printing molds and grips for the tubes.
• Where will it come from? Catalunya.
• How much will they cost?Not sure yet.
• What parts and systems will be made? The wearables, not sure if I could make the syringes with a spring.
• What processes will be used? Molding and casting, laser-cut, 3D printing and mechanical system with my body.
• What questions need to be answered?
How would you cohabit with another organism?
Is it possible to bring life to the infrastructure humans have created?
Would humans be able to do photosynthesis?
Can we create new narratives for a postnatural future?
How can humanity rebalance its relationship with nature, microorganisms and our own bodies?
• How will it be evaluated?
Even though I aim to have this system eventually work I mostly rely now on the artistic approach and the fact that we could modify our bodies with technology to cohabit with other organisms. I expect to provoke a way of thinking in which the natural world is part of our daily lives and start to have a mind shift towards it. Of course, if the mechanical system final works would be great if not the solution would be to connect pumps to do the aerification and movement but since I have already done that for the challenges I find it more challenging for me to make the mechanical system. I think that the idea itself has a lot of potential and that is something to also have into account.