The gut microbiome of Zophobas morio (superworm) hosts bacteria capable of degrading plastics. Inspired by the plastic-degrading capabilities of superworm, we developed "Plascetamol," a probiotic pill that transfers these microbes into new gut systems. This probiotic contains microbes capable of depolymerizing plastics, enabling both animals and humans to consume plastic, reframing pollution as a potential food source and thereby reducing plastic pollution. By linking eating (consuming) with plastic (consumption), this project envisions a dystopian future where plastic waste is perpetually recycled through ingestion, creating an endless loop of consumption, recycling, and production.
Through a fine dining experience featuring food made of edible bioplastic, we invite participants to reflect on the consumerist loop, flawed food systems, and the greenwashing embedded in current recycling narratives. Recycling, often championed as a solution, may instead perpetuate overproduction and consumption. Aligned with radical ecology arguments, this project challenges the notion that there is no alternative to the growth-driven capitalism fueling plastic-related greenhouse gas emissions, habitat destruction, and species extinction. By critiquing the systems underpinning the plastic production industry, it seeks to inspire actionable pathways toward truly ecologically responsible futures.
Annan Zuo is a more-than-human researcher and architectural designer. He holds an MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Cambridge and currently works at Foster + Partners in London. In October 2025, he will begin a PhD in Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on post-phenomenology, intersubjectivity, more-than-human architecture, landscape recovery, empathy, and care.
Annan’s work has been featured at international platforms including the Venice Biennale, Edinburgh Fringe, the Media Architecture Biennale, and exhibited in institutions such as the Shanghai Ming Contemporary Art Museum and Austin Unchained Gallery. He is the recipient of the 2024 BioDesign Challenge Grand Prize and has published with Springer Nature and Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research. He has presented at conferences across cybernetics, systems design, bio art, and architecture, including RSD12, ASC60, and ISEA 2025.
He was nominated for both the RIBA Bronze and Silver Medals and is an active member of the American Society for Cybernetics and the Eco-centric Future Lab.
Jiabao Li is an artist, assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin, founding director of Ecocentric Future Lab, and visiting professor at Stanford. She creates works addressing climate change, multispecies futures, humane technology, and perceptions. Her mediums include wearable, robot, AR/VR, performance, scientific experiment, installation. In Jiabao’s TED Talk, she uncovered how technology mediates the way we perceive reality. Her recent solo exhibitions include “Chill Out: The Arctic Couldn’t”, “Progenitorial Hysteresis”, “Perception Omnifold”, and “Ecological Soup: Interspecies Encounters”.
Jiabao is the recipient of numerous awards including Forbes China 30 Under 30, STARTS Prize, Falling Walls, Fast Company, and the Outstanding Instructor Award from Bio Design Challenge. Her work has been exhibited internationally, at MoMA, Venice Architecture Biennale, Ars Electronica, Exploratorium, Today Art Museum Biennial, SIGGRAPH, Milan and Dubai Design Week, ISEA, etc. Her academic papers have been published in top conferences and journals including SIGGRAPH, CHI, IEEE VIS. Her work has been featured on Fast Company, Art Forum, Business Insider, Bloomberg, South China Morning Post, Domus, Yanko Design, Harvard Political Review, Leonardo. She is a member of Onassis Foundation and a Fellow at Ars Electronica Founding lab. She graduated from Harvard GSD with Distinction and thesis award.
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