Kombuchán
Growing bacterial cellulose into a design material — an ongoing biodesign inquiry into what it means to farm the objects around us.
[Placeholder] A brief on the domestic scale of biomaterials: the kitchen as laboratory, the vat as a small factory. Framed against the industrial cellulose supply chain.
A living cellulose that is grown, dried and finished as a soft, leather-like membrane — a material with a memory of its vat.
- Note 01 — [Placeholder] Batch 03: acidity crept up overnight; pellicle stayed thin.
- Note 02 — [Placeholder] Tried glycerol post-dry — surface stayed supple for a week.
- Note 03 — [Placeholder] Testing pigmenting with hibiscus during growth vs after.
[Placeholder] Iterative growth protocols across sugar, tea strength and vessel geometry. Documented in a growth log with weekly photographs and mass measurements.
[Placeholder] A set of sample cards, three garment-scale sheets, and a written protocol shared with the lab.
[Placeholder] Biomaterials ask designers to hold time differently. The vat sets the pace and the object arrives when the culture is ready.