Research Into Plastics

How are plastics currently recycled?

Is there an alternative to plastics that are more sustainable?

Making A Circuit With Textiles

In todays future materials class, I created a circuit using textiles and it actually lit up a LED light! 

Bacteria In Textiles

Textiles just like any other subject is innovative and always improving. In my future materials class, I was really impressed with how many new idea's had been thought of and experimented with. One of my favourite was using bacteria in textiles, I had already touched on this subject slightly in my final major project at college, You might have seen my final exhibition blog post but if not you can find it by clicking here. My project brief was based on science and I briefly looked into some artists and textile designers that had grown textiles with bacteria. 

What does bacteria do? How does it work?

Bacteria can be used in textiles in so many different ways. It can be grown, This is what London based artist Suzanna Lee has done, She uses microbial-cellulose which is just lots of bacteria grown using green tea to feed them as it contains all the nutrients they need. She grows this in bathtubs. After a few days/week when the bacteria has grown thick enough, she uses a human form/mannequin to sculpt the bacteria to and lets it dry to the shape of that form, or she can just leave the bacteria on it's own to dry then use the more conventional way of making a pattern out of it and then sewing it. Many people have used bacteria in their textiles and fashion. Contemporary artist Donna Franklin has teamed up with a research lab that started out with the hopes of creating a cyborg with self developing skin and created skin tight dressed created from fermented wine. Artist Anna Dumitriu has created a quilt which was coloured/stained with the MRSA bacteria. You can read more about this by clicking here.

Anna Dumitriu - MRSA Quilt 

How could it potentially be utilised in the future?

Mixing science and textiles together is creating a whole new world of what ifs? and experiments. Of course bacteria could be utilised more in the future. I'm sure textile artists and scientists are already teaming up and experimenting with creating more textiles from bacteria. I'm not sure myself how it could be utilised in the future but I am excited and intrigued!

How would I utilise it?

 I would love to be able to see more patterns made out of bacteria in textile's. I would love to team up with the right research/scientists and create patterned bacterial textiles on a large scale, in a similar seamless way like Suzanne Lee does, But with patterned grown bacteria not just plain colour's. I think that would be the next step to improve. From then on the possibilities are endless.

What designers/artists are utilising it at the moment?

Suzanne Lee is the artist I have found to have made the most improvements with growing her own bacteria. Anna Dumitriu is another artist who is also making improvements in this field. I think any one with new ideas and the right connections can do just as both Suzanne Lee and Anna Dumitriu have done and create a whole new world of possibilities for fashion and textiles.

I have really enjoyed researching into bacteria in textiles and would really like to do an experiment of my own including science and textiles, Maybe that is an idea to keep for a big project. 

Thank you for reading!

Becca. 

References: http://www.biocouture.co.uk
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/artist-dyes-clothes-quilts-tuberculosis-and-staph-bacteria-180949511/?no-ist

Future Materials - Self Cleaning Clothing

During my first future materials class today, We was introduced to what future materials is. I was shown lot's of different peoples work in future materials and knit, weave, print etc... I was really interested as I have touched upon future materials both at school and in college. 

We were asked to split up into pairs and asked to think of 'If everything in the world was possible, What would I grow or create? (Relevant to future materials)' The task was harder than I thought and we only came up with 4 idea's. My favourite one, The one I decided to research into was self cleaning clothing.

Research into the possibility of this idea, Is it possible?

I researched this idea and it turns out it is actually possible and engineers have created this product, it has also recently been improved.

In 2011 engineers created a coating, Like a textile finish that let's cotton materials clean themselves in sunlight. It also claims to clean it's self of odour too. The substance is not new on the market though, although it is new to textiles, it has previously been used in self cleaning windows, odour free socks and stay clean kitchen and bathroom tiles. Experiments were carried out and proved that this product worked, orange dye was placed on fabrics and was exposed to the sun for two hour, 71% of the stain has been removed by the sun which was a 'dramatic' improvement since the last experiment. Another experiment was done in which the orange dye was placed on one cloth and after washing 5 times the coating was not effected suggesting that the enhancement was good enough for everyday use as the washing and drying did not reduce the effectiveness. 

Recently (2014) another similar yet more improved design has been tried, tested and successful. (See below)

Problems?

As the product is a coating, This can make the finish on your clothes a bit stiff and uncomfortable. The risk of these kind of products also, are that they can be cancerous and have birth defects. 

The Silic Shirt...

The silic shirt is a new product that was funded on the website kickstart, Aamir Patel from San Francisco created this shirt. Rather than setting the fabric with a coating or a finish the hydrophobic nanotechnology is inside the shirt, making the shirt feel so soft and comfortable to wear. The way it works is that the fabric has nanotechnology bonded to the fibres in the shirt, Most liquid molecules can not touch the fabric because of a really tiny layer of air that forms between the liquid and the fabric, This is because the fabric is layered with billions of silica particles. It is washable up to 80 times and contains no cancerous chemicals.

Research: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/741186545/a-shirt-that-cleans-itself

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16225050

I have been unsuccessful in finding any designers that have worked in this field, which is understand able as this type of clothing is a functional clothing with restrictions. Not suitable for fashion.

Thank you for reading

Becca!