Teaching and Integrating Sustainable Design Innovation : A Lesson in BioCouture. Julie Zenobi. Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching

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1 Teaching and Integrating Sustainable Design Innovation : A Lesson in BioCouture Julie Zenobi Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Capstone Project University of Leeds, United Kingdom

2 BioCouture: Growing Bio Material for Textile Innovation For my capstone project, I experimented with innovative sustainable design techniques that could be utilized both by professionals and students. Through my research I became fascinated with biomaterials. A biomaterial is any matter, surface, or construct that interacts with biological systems. Biomaterials can be derived either from nature or synthesized in the laboratory. At the University of Leeds they are known for their research of biomaterials within the medical sector. Many people have heard of biomaterials being used for tissue engineering and other medical needs, but have you ever considered what connections biomaterials have with fashion? Inspired by the research of English fashion designer Suzanne Lee, I decided to grow my own biomaterial to explore these connections. Suzanne Lee researches sustainable textile innovation to provide an avenue for fashion that will not harm the environment. She has created a recipe that uses all natural ingredients to grow a type of synthetic fabric material from the active ingredient of kombucha tea. It grows based on a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. The material can then be sewn and dyed, just like a light leather material. It is not waterproof and will not last forever, but it is completely biodegradable. I decided to try this recipe for myself to see if it could be applicable in the design classroom and fit into the new curriculum I am developing for sustainable textile and fashion design courses. This lesson is packed with various learning objectives from sustainable design innovation to biology. It is interactive and provides project based learning with the principles of craft, design, and problem solving. Since I cannot physically submit the biomaterial to Fulbright, I have provided a photo summary of the process and included the coordinating lesson plans that accompany the project. 2

3 In order to begin the experiment of growing a biomaterial, one must gather the ingredients. This BioCouture recipe is based on a kombucha tea SCOBY, or symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. The SCOBY is a slimy specimen that can be purchased from any health food store. It is used to ferment and produce kombucha tea which is a lightly effervescent drink that is believed to have significant health benefits. Kombucha tea is becoming very popular in the United States. From my experience in NYC, it is everywhere. It is even on tap at the local Whole Foods Market and many of my students are familiar with it. It did not seem very popular in the United Kingdom or perhaps in the Northern area, such as the city of Leeds, it was not well known. I ordered the kombucha SCOBY from amazon.com of all places. It arrives like this: Zenobi, Julie. Packaged Scoby JPEG file. 3

4 The other ingredients needed are as follows: Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Sugar Green Tea Zenobi, Julie. Ingredients Ready JPEG file. 4

5 Through a very simple procedure of brewing the green tea, dissolving the sugar, and adding the cider vinegar, the concoction is ready to be poured into a plastic container for the SCOBY to rest in. Here I am in the lab at the Center for Science and Mathematics Education, University of Leeds. The experiment was overseen by lab technician Stefan who provided a risk assessment of the experiment as low risk. Zenobi, Julie. Mixing JPEG file. Zenobi, Julie. SCOBY Introduced to Solution JPEG file. 5

6 I decided to grow two containers as to have a control and a variable. The SCOBY are placed in the center of the green tea/sugar/vinegar solution and left to allow the fermenting process to take place and start growing the biomaterial on the surface. Zenobi, Julie. SCOPY Trays Day JPEG file. Here is how they look after one week. A thin, bubbly skin has formed on top of the SCOBY. Zenobi, Julie. SCOBY Week JPEG file. 6

7 Zenobi, Julie. SCOBY Week 1 Detail JPEG file. Here you can witness the thickness of the skin or film that has grown on top of the surface. This is after just one week. I decided to leave it to keep growing to see if it could grow a bit more thick. In order to control the temperature in the chilly lab, we placed the trays on heating pads to maintain an average room temperature of around 68 degrees fahrenheit. There was an unseasonably warm weekend that I believe dryed out the trays, so I decided to cultivate and dry out one tray of material. In other tray I added more of the liquid solution to see if it could continue to ferment and grow more thick. In the end, I do not believe it grew that much more. The first tray of biomaterial grew for approximately 10 days, while the second tray grew for 19 days. The drying process proved to be rather tricky in the moist UK air. 7

8 Zenobi, Julie. Washing Biomaterial JPEG file. Zenobi, Julie. Drying JPEG file. The cleaning and drying process of the biomaterial is simple. It is washed in soapy water and laid flat on a wooden board to dry. Every day I would turn the material over to aid in the drying process and also placed a fan over it to speed up the process. I moved the material off the wood board eventually and tried to lay it on a breathable linen fabric. I also tried to lay it on wire mesh that allowed air to flow all around it. If it were a warm sunny day I imagine it would dry fast in the sun, but the UK is not conducive to those! 8

9 Zenobi, Julie. Drying on Elevated Board JPEG file Zenobi, Julie. Drying on Mesh JPEG file. Zenobi, Julie. Drying on Linen JPEG file. 9

10 The drying process took longer than expected. The material still has a subtle stickiness to it. I am currently discerning if this is because of it not drying out properly or if it is the general texture of the material. The material feels like a light leather or vinyl. It certainly is not the most aesthetically pleasing and to many it resembles thick skin. Colleagues have commented that it reminds them of fruit leather or, as we have in the USA, a fruit roll-up. It also has a slight fruity smell. Below are some photos of the final product. Zenobi, Julie. BioCouture Material JPEG file. Zenobi, Julie. BioCouture Detail JPEG file. 10

11 Zenobi, Julie. BioCouture Detail JPEG file. The next part of this process is to actually prototype a small design from the material. I am thinking to start small. Perhaps an accessory, like a wallet. I will have to see how the material flows through the sewing machine and dyes. Another aspect to explore is shaping the material while it is still wet. It has the capabilities to be formed into a shape and dried. I look forward to experimenting and learning alongside my students with this project. That is another invaluable lesson: to problem solve together and for them to see that even teachers sometimes do not have ALL the answers! Design is all about problem solving. I divided my final biomaterial into samples. I left some for my colleagues at the University of Leeds and shipped the others back to the USA. I can happily say they made it through customs and are at the house of my mother waiting for my return. As this is my first time growing a biomaterial from a kombucha SCOBY, I hope to refine the process and make it a major project that resides within my sustainability unit for textile and fashion design. 11

12 Zenobi, Julie. BioCouture Samples JPEG. 12

13 Teacher: Julie Zenobi Date: 2015 Course: Advanced Textiles and Fashion Design Topic/Subject : Bio Couture: Innovative Materials for Sustainable Design Aim/Objective: Students will gain new perspectives on how to approach sustainability and design; students will understand what biomaterials and non wovens are; students will make connections between fashion and technology; students will learn about fermentation processes that include knowledge of symbiotic bacteria and yeast colonies; students will gain insight on how to work with a new material; students will have to challenge their creative, technical, and design thinking skills NYS Standards for the Arts: Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, National Core Arts Standards: Anchor Standard #1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Anchor Standard #2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Anchor Standard #3. Refine and complete artistic work. Anchor Standard #5. Develop and refine artistic work for presentation. Anchor Standard #9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Anchor Standard #10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Anchor Standard #11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding. Common Core State Standard addressed in the lesson: CCSS.ELA LITERACY.CCRA.R.3 ; CCSS.ELA LITERACY.CCRA.R.4 ; CCSS.ELA LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 CCSS.ELA LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1 ; CCSS.ELA LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 ; CCSS.ELA LITERACY.CCRA.SL.6 Motivation: This lesson will occur after learning about the pollution caused by the textile and fashion industries. A visual presentation will take us through the images associated with textile waste. We will start by revisiting the pros and cons of current textile systems. In

14 particular we will talk about leather and harmful tanneries associated with the industry. We will talk about the importance of sustainability and how we are problem solving these challenges as designers. Motivating questions: Is our textile industry healthy? What role do designers play in protecting the environment? How can we step away from traditional textile methods to find a possible new way of making fabric? What if we could grow a leather from something that is not plant or animal based? What could you make with this material? Mini Lesson: Students will watch TED talk by design Suzanne Lee about her BioCouture project followed by a slide show of BioCouture made clothing and accessories. Students will then learn about the ingredients and science behind growing a kombucha tea based biomaterial. I will model how to setup the experiment and mix the ingredients. Guided Practice: Students will gather materials to set up their own tray for growing their biomaterial. After having watched me model the setup and by having a written document about how to mix the ingredients, they will work independently to start growing their biomaterial. Independent Practice: Students will be responsible for the daily checking and documenting of their biomaterial within a journal and via photos taken on their phones. While the material is growing, students will work on sketches and designs for what they would like to make with the material. They will research and develop a product that reflects their own design aesthetic. An inspiration/mood board will accompany a series of sketches for their final product. Once the material is grown and dried, students will start the prototyping stage of creating the design they had sketched. Essential Questions: What are biomaterials? What potential do biomaterials have? Why explore new ways of producing textiles? Why design sustainably? Why do we need sustainable methods of design? How does science and technology help us as designers and artists?

15 Share: Students will present their documentation and final creations from their biomaterial to the class. I also hope to arrange for some professionals to take part in the presentations and to possible have a gallery show in a local cafe. Evaluation: Students will be evaluated and assessed on their documentation journal, sketches, final product and presentation. From the collection of these materials it will be clear to evaluate their process, analysis, critical thinking, and design techniques. Vocab : couture, nonwovens, biomaterials, yeast, bacteria, effervescent, fermentation, kombucha, symbiotic