Dubbed Picoplanktonics, the exhibit is comprised of 3D-printed biostructures with embedded cyanobacteria. The exhibit is meant to encourage a reexamination of what materials and design can do in an “era of ecological urgency,” according to Yanko Design.
Shin Ling, who works for Canada’s The Living Room Collective, noted that the cyanobacteria in Picoplanktonics require humidity, sunlight, and salt water. “A bioprint might dry out if the air is too dry that week, and many of the bacteria die,” said Shin Ling. “But because the system is regenerative, the bacteria population has the potential to restore itself when favorable conditions return.”
The exhibit will run through November.