TABOO - TRANSGRESSION - TRANSCENDENCE

This proposal explores biohybrid artifacts as liminal entities at the intersection of living organisms and machines. By integrating bacterial cellulose—an accessible, biodegradable, and self-sustaining biomaterial—into speculative designs, this work examines the politics of hybridization and the ecological potential of biofabrication. Using examples such as the Biohybrid Device Game Controller and the Grew Shoe, the project reveals how these living artifacts challenge paradigms of production, mutation, and material sustainability.

Informed by biopunk aesthetics and speculative design, the artifacts are grown, not manufactured, embodying transgressive practices that blur the lines between nature and technology. By growing bacterial cellulose into functional and symbolic forms, the work critiques extractive fabrication methods and envisions a future where artifacts symbiotically coexist with their environments. These biohybrid systems highlight the potential of biodegradable materials as agents of ecological restoration, addressing the urgent need for sustainable alternatives in a climate-challenged world.

This presentation invites discussion on the implications of biohybrid systems for identity, ethics, and resilience, proposing an artistic reimagining of our relationship with technology and the living world.