Making Biomaterials for Sustainable Tangible Interfaces
People: Fiona Bell, Shanel Wu, Nadia Campo Woytuk, Eldy Lazaro Vasquez, Mirela Alistar, and Leah Buechley
Year: 2024
Description: As the world becomes more conscious of the impact of human activities on the environment, sustainable materials that readily biodegrade have become an increasingly important area of research. In this hands-on studio, we foraged for locally specific biomaterials such as sphagnum moss, birch bark, and grasses and made various new biomaterials such as algae-moss bioplastics, soil-grass bioclays, and gelatin biofoams. Through group activities, we demonstrated how to implement biomaterials in the design of sustainable tangible interfaces and discussed topics sensitized by biological media such as more-than-human temporalities, bio-ethics, care, and unmaking.
Outcomes: ACM TEI’24 Studio, Studio Website
