In recounting his experiences, the designer explains that “for these hungry little creatures to grow they require a nice hot and humid environment and food. Give them this and they basically grow on anything. In order to get the bacteria interested in the paper I used agar (a substance scientists use to cultivate bacteria in the laboratory). Fortunately some of them liked it, and some even started eating the cellulose of the paper. However if you let them grow without rules it immediately becomes chaotic. So to form images I had to control the shape of the bacterial culture right from the outset. For this I used various techniques such as silk-screen printing and old wooden-cut letters. At first the ink on the paper is hardly visible because the quantity of bacteria is minimal. But then, as they start to grow their pigment is unveiled and you begin to see them. In a converted poster box where the paper can reveal its life, messages appear and change through time.”

Contact: Jelte van Abbema, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

The environmentally friendly coating, which means “alive” in German, is comprised of powdered Japanese washi paper, seaweed glue, scallop-shell powder, titanium dioxide, and natural pigments. Washi naturally controls humidity, absorbing moisture during the summer and releasing it during the winter. Scallop-shell powder prevents mold and bacteria growth, as well as flame-spread. Titanium dioxide acts as a photocatalyst, deodorizing the air and absorbing pollution when the paint surface is illuminated.

Despite its completely natural and edible composition, Reben is a durable coating that is preferable to wallpaper. Its textured surface conveys a plasterlike richness, and it is available in a variety of textures, colors, and integrated natural grasses. Reben has no chemical glues or dyes that would negate its positive effects.

Contact: YDNY, New York / JPHome.net.
Find more information in Transmaterial 2.