Key Moments

Research Period: July 2024 – Ongoing

The living darkroom is exactly what it sounds like: a darkroom that lives. An investigation into how biological organisms can become photographic surfaces, printing mechanisms, and teaching materials.

This research explores bacteria (specifically kombucha SCOBY — symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), fungi, and organic materials as active collaborators in the photographic process.

What happens:

• Kombucha SCOBY becomes a translucent printing surface for cyanotype
• Light exposure through bacterial cellulose creates unique patterns
• Paper made from mycelium becomes both substrate and artwork
• Organic processes (growth, decay, aging) replace mechanical control

The experiments:

• Exposure times, lighting angles, and material combinations vary each time
• Failure is documented as carefully as success
• Each print is unrepeatable — a direct collaboration with living systems
• The "mistakes" often become the most interesting results

Why it matters: This research challenges the idea that control and precision are prerequisites for meaning-making. Instead, it suggests that collaboration with living systems teaches us something about creativity, humility, and what emerges when we stop demanding predictability.

Materiality:

• Bacterial cellulose (grown, not manufactured)
• Mycelium leather (fungal networks)
• Organic paper (botanical fibers)
• Light-sensitive chemistry (iron salts, cyanotype)
• Time (measured in days, weeks, seasons — not seconds)

Core concept: Design is not about control. It's about collaboration with living systems, with time, with error.

Research Launch: November 2024

Neuroflora is a long-form research project investigating the symbiosis between neurological systems, botanical processes, and sensory experience. The central question: How can we design spaces and experiences that mirror natural symbiotic relationships and, in doing so, heal human nervous systems?

What we're investigating:

• Biophilic design informed by neuroscience
• How botanical presence literally changes brain activity
• Mycorrhizal networks as metaphors for neural networks
• Symbiosis as both biological and relational principle
• Spaces designed for nervous system regulation

The framework: Neuroflora treats the human-nature relationship not as separation but as symbiosis. Just as mycorrhizal networks connect forest ecosystems, human beings are designed for connection — to nature, to each other, to sensory experience.

Practical applications:

• Spatial design that reduces stress and increases focus
• Environmental design that supports emotional regulation
• Sensory experiences that activate parasympathetic nervous system
• Art installations that create felt sense of belonging

Research methods:

• Literature review (neuroscience, botany, design)
• Speculative design experiments
• Neuroimaging research (where available)
• Installation testing and feedback
• Collaboration with biologists and neuroscientists

Why it matters: We are living in a moment of unprecedented disconnection and dysregulation. Young people especially are experiencing anxiety, depression, and a profound sense of alienation. Neuroflora suggests that design — informed by neuroscience and nature — can be a tool for healing.

Core concept: We are not separate from nature. We are symbiotic with it. Design that honors this truth heals.