Last October, Ilaria La Manna, an architect, designer, maker and coach at the Phyrtual Innovation Gym, held a lab entitled "Bio-design. From the Nano to the Macro Scale. Academic Experiences in Art and Science." The course (16 hours, Oct. 3-25) included several lessons on theory and practice in various facilities at the University of Buenos Aires (Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering).
Biotechnology is expanding into various areas and in recent years it has also involved architecture, design and materials engineering. “We invited the students to explore the various opportunities available for the creation of materials and to observe their structure on the nanoscale. The students cultivated bacteria, fungi, and algae, modifying their natural growth with external tools to guide bio-creation in a natural model,” explains Ilaria La Manna, one of the professors for the course that involved 30 students.
"We promote the importance of biotechnology as a source of inspiration for art, design and architecture. The results help us reflect on how these new bio-production methods are changing the codes of design and the traditional architectural process, from inspiration to construction. Moreover, we also want to promote research on new materials shaped from living organisms,” adds Ilaria La Manna.
The final works were showcased at the Noviembre Electrónico 2018, an exhibition dedicated to university projects at the San Martin Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires and other public areas in the city (Nov. 9-18, 2018).
THE PROJECTS
- Title: Bacterial Constellations
Technique: large scale projection of various fungi and bacteria cultures that populate the human body.
Team: Tatiana Cuoco, Juan Gagliano, Laura Garzón, Diego Morales, Edgardo Rojas.
Bio-design | MAEDI | FADU + FCEN | UBA - Title: Planet Petri
Technique: Videogame for exploring virtual reality through the 3D scanning of fungi and bacteria cultures.
Team: Maria Sofia Piantanida, Florencia Berenguer, Mariano Ramis, Marianela Benitez Mingrone.
Bio-design | MAEDI | FADU + FCEN | UBA - Title: Fungus
Technique: Cultivation of Pycnoporus Sanguineus Mycelium on a 3D-printed mask
Team: Bernardo Nóbrega, Romina Nales, Yecid Murillo, Francisco Hesayne, Belén González.
Bio-design | MAEDI | FADU + FCEN | UBA - Title: Live Communication Technology
Technique: video-art capturing the movement of micro-algae, digital kaleidoscope with micro-organisms
Team: Valeria Gusso, Vanina Pappacena, Paula Merialdo, Liliana Montañez, Ignacio García.
Bio-design | MAEDI | FADU + FCEN | UBA - Title: 0.4mmxH
Technique: interactive video installation based on the projection of fungi cultivation. Interactive video-mapping
Team: Solana Sierra, Monica Sánchez, Marcela Ciccone, Mariela Alvarado, Ricardo Rodríguez.
Bio-design | MAEDI | FADU + FCEN | UBA - Title: Petricity
Technique: 3D modelling inspired by fungi and bacteria cultures. Urban model of a city based on the cultivation of germs in a petri dish.
Team: Natalia Kong Yi, Miguel Angel Angeleri, Rafael Jimenez, Juan Odriozola
Bio-design | MAEDI | FADU + FCEN | UBA
