Suzanne Lee:

We are currently outlining our collaborative research direction which will bring together synthetic biology, chemical engineering and design towards future material applications.

Using green tea and ingenuity from the science department at Imperial College. Suzanne Lee, the lead creative director for biocouture, is transforming science fiction into reality.  If bacteria can produce a textile from something as simple as green tea, then the possibilities for application will have few limitations.

What bacteria clothing concoction would you make?

Mix bacteria with your favorite meal or cocktail to have evening to match, seems a bit strange, but evidentially possible.

These 4 billion year old creatures will seemingly educate us in waste management, with their nifty production skills.

Would you wear something made from bacteria and trash?

+biocouture

The summer months will bring a visual transformation to the San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design. Four California artists will enhance the bricks and mortar of our galleries with installations intended as encompassing experiences. Using traditional craft materials of paper, fiber, metal, and wood, this large-scale exhibition will recontextualize these mediums, pushing their limits to new artistic heights. Be prepared to fully engage once you enter our Museum space, and to enjoy a new level of excitement at SFMC+D.

One of our past featured artists Christine Lee (wood) will be exhibiting at SFMCD. Along with Tanya Aguiniga (fiber), Paul Andrew Whayes (paper) and Thomas Hill (metal).

via SFMCD.org

“A neighbor [of mine] was throwing out some of his pornography and I asked him why he was doing that, he said he was clearing out a part of his life, who I later found died a couple months later”

If you look closely you can see syringes within the individual boxes which people found a symmetry to drug addiction.  Pieces are derived in an organic matter, the ideas coming to the artist after spending some time with them for a while.

Q: What do you love most about living in the Bay Area?

A: Its so green.

Q: How would you describe your art to a stranger?

A: I fit things together.

Q: When are you most productive?

A: Late night, around 2 am.

Individual plastic containers placed in front of a collage.

Q: Is there an artist that has inspired or influenced your work?

A: Joseph Cornell; I read when he would sweep his mom’s basement, he would collect and save the dust.

(Above) Truong luckily found a large amount of protein cups, cut out magazine pieces and arranged them in each cup.  He mentioned that he goes to the Alcoa aluminum foundry to make his frames. Truong has a fascination of transforming objects by dipping them in wax from old candles.  When he goes to Scrap and finds a large amount of a repetitive item, he will buy them and store them away until he can find a use for them.

Q: What was the last show you attended?

A: It would have to be my own, after my last show at the Minna gallery I was exhausted.  I go to my students concerts, but the music is a little hardcore for me, but I try to make it to other art shows as often as possible.

He would write poems on this piece and sporadically erase parts of the poem to the point of it losing its coherence.  Truong says of this, “I wanted to lose myself in the art when erasing the letters and words”

Q: What future direction do you see your art work taking?

A: Tone down the pieces, and not use as much lighting as I have in past pieces.

One of his published books Within the Margin, was inspired by Richard Serra who stated “In order for art to exist in our society there will have to be marginalized artists.:  The poems from the book had the intention of wrapping all the way around the gallery, he tried to have his book without margins, but the printers weren’t able to not have margins, “technology has limited many of his endeavors.”

Digna Kosse explores food proportions and has a fresh approach to the fashion industry, one that almost reverts back to a primitive tribe living in a tropical setting, but it’s sense of couture and artistic vision sets it on a different path, as he states:

Minimal dress is a concept clothing project, in which a dress is minimized to a few threads at the most. They are whispier than whispy, yet they remain feminine dresses.

Fashion has the fastest in changing trends and puts a large strain on resources, because of its high turnover rate.  Goodwill programs help recycle it through thrift stores that then send it to Africa and other third world countries to put it to full use, but still the EPA estimates that 68 pounds of clothing are thrown away each year per person accounting for 7% of every individual’s waste stream.

Seen above is another one of Kosse’s projects that sets proportions of food to body volume based on the simple observation that we consume too much. His project is basically described as:

I measured all parts of my body in volumes (litres)and these volumes I have captured in a series of tableware.

Recently we have seen fast food restaurants offer up higher quality products in small proportions like mini sirloin burgers, making a trend to bring back lost customers.

A great idea is to control your diet with dinnerware speicifically made for you through measurement of your body volume, which is something Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers have succeeded at.  Perhaps in the future fast food restaurants will have value meals based on your body weight, but with some nice body index number that will work for marketing.

If anyone has the money to finance an infommercial, this may be the next biggest hit: Sell a small bowl with the purpose of being  filled five times a day with only foods on a given list with the guarantee to lose weight and  consume less of the worlds resources.

Would you buy not one, not two but three sets of bowls for the low introductory price of $9.95??!!

+ Digna Kosse

Daphne Ruff‘s beautiful collages show her passion to mix many sources into one cohesive piece.

A native of Eugene, Oregon and now a current resident of Oakland California, Daphne’s most current obsession is combining found objects into unique purses as seen below.

All of her handbags are custom made and unique.

Daphne Ruff:

Some of these purses tend to be slightly heavier than your average purse, but women have always endured a little pain for the sake of beauty.

The beauty, pain and art of being a woman, so eventually, like I sometimes do, a man can carry the woman to a taxi after a full night of dancing in heels.

A full collection of purses,  from her own satchels and messengers to your own custom orders.

Greetje van Tiem, a Dutch Designer has figured out a way to weave newspaper into classy material which can be used to upholster furniture…

…or weave into a curtain.

(Above) A closeup of the texture.  The process is deceivingly simple, it just takes time and patience.  Here’s how you do it.  Images via Dezeen

Manto a fashion label that brings back traditional Argentinian weaving has a collection appropriately called Rubber.

They successfully incorporate used tires into their patterns resulting in fresh, sturdy bags.  Via TreeHugger

Even plastic bags can be woven into a new life as a bag, carpet or whatever you wish.  Above are details of how nice the product can turn out.  If you feel inspired, find out how you can weave plastic.  Images via Homestead Weaver.

Something a little harder to weave for the ordinary craftsman is cassette tapes.  Alyce Santoro makes funky clothing and more that can actually play music.

Her label is called Sonic Fabric.  They have nice ties also for men.

Any other unorthodox material out there that can be turned into textile and be woven?  Let’s hear it!