‘Bacteria, Fungi, Humans, all part of the same experiment.’
Ward Groutars is a researcher with the Biobased Art and Design research group.
(2023 – 2019) Coloured by Flavo
Research Group: Biobased Art and Design
This research is about artists, scientists and bacteria co-developing ‘high-performance colour’ as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based pigments and dyes.
Colour is at the heart of the creative industries and critical to the quality of our lives. Most colourants used in artefacts have problems in performance (e.g. intensity and stability), and are often based around petroleum products and/or transition metals.
Currently, the choice of biobased high-performance colours is limited. ‘Structural colour’ (SC) is a viable, sustainable alternative. The best examples are found in nature (e.g. in peacock feathers), in which nanostructures interact with incident light to reflect intense hues. Previously we have shown that SC can be created by non-harmful Flavobacteria grown on low value industrial waste.
This research promotes a notion of collaboration with these living organisms, to enhance the fusion of technology and organic systems. It proposes to establish this collaboration by capitalising on artistic practice, not only for discovering unforeseen design potentials of these organisms but also conveying them to society. A methodology is being offered which combines diverse technical and creative methods taking artists and scientists (and bacteria!) as equal and active partners. Outcomes will be realised within educational modules, material demonstrators, and strategies for communicating design potentials and future research directions.
Started 2019.
Principle investigator
Ward Groutars
Clarice Risseeuw
Other researchers involved
Radi Hamidjaja (Hoekmine BV)
Professor
Elvin Karana
Collaborators
Hoekmine B.V., BlueCity Lab, Aldje van Meer (WdKA), Charlotte Bik (WdKA), Advanced Prototyping Minor/ Industrial Design Engineering (TU Delft)
Principle investigators
Colin Ingham (Hoekmine BV), Elvin Karana, Hauke Smidt (Wageningen University)
Industries
Inks, coatings, dyes
Institutes
Avans University of Applied Sciences, Willem de Kooning Academy, TU Delft
Funding
Smart Culture/ Art & Culture Program/ NWO (NL)
