Living morphogenesis: an exploration of bacteria-guided fabrication

Abstract

This thesis contributes to biofabrication design practices by developing a co-designing process with living materials to bridge the gap between design ambition and material biofabrication. An interdisciplinary collaborative approach is proposed by redefining material exploration at the intersection of design and microbiology based on the example of bacteria-produced cellulose. Bacterial Cellulose (BC) naturally grows into flat sheets at the air-nutrient interface on the surface of a liquid culture. While BC is fast gaining recognition across scientific domains due to its versatile properties – including high durability, water-holding capacity, and lightweight nature – its fabrication has traditionally been limited to post-growth moulding of the flat material sheets. Applying conventional fabrication techniques, however, overlooks the material’s inherent self-forming capabilities. For this reason, the methodology developed in this thesis seeks to understand BC growth behaviours through a cross-disciplinary lens with the aim of facilitating the exploration of BC’s intrinsic morphological behaviour. Carefully designed environments implement aeration and customised scaffolds as design tool to enable the growth of three-dimensional BC. The described iterative experimentation not only identifies key design parameters to guide the BC’s growth into novel shapes, but also reveals the emergence of complexity and spatial variability within its materiality. Additionally, the thesis investigates novel preservation methods in order to document and capture these complex and rapidly evolving BC formations. The findings introduce a novel organism-guided and designer-led approach to BC fabrication, enabling the creation of uniquely complex three-dimensional structures. This marks a significant advancement in Biodesign research, demonstrating the importance of exploratory methods in understanding and utilising living materials for new forms of fabrication.