The first event of the Future Materials Ecounters focuses on Skin II, a project by textile designer Rosie Broadhead and Dr. ir. Chris Callewaert from the Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology of the University of Ghent.
Together with the Jan van Eyck participants, Rosie and Chris discuss their research project in relation to skin, smell, microbioma, as well as textile design and generative collaborations emerging from the encounter of microbiology and design.
By inviting to look, touch and smell textile samples, garment prototypes and scientific technological devices, Rosie and Chris enabled the audience to explore the following questions
How does working with bacteria look, smell, feel like?
– What happens when a designer or an artist enters a group of microbiology scientists?
– Is it possible and how to work safely with bacteria outside of a science lab?
– Which possibilities more-than-human collaborations unveil for the future of textile design and fashion culture?
– How does the idea of body and individuality change when we understand ourselves as made by a plurality of living beings?