From Shells to Shelter. A Conversation on Marine-based Biotextiles

Can waste from the ocean become the textiles we wear? What if materials could grow, decompose, and return safely to natural cycles? And how might this transform not only design but our relationship to our bodies and the environment? Join us for an engaging moderated Q&A on CHITIN [C8H13NO5]_shelter, a research-driven art and design project that explores how chitin and chitosan derived from marine biological waste can be transformed into innovative textile applications. Moving beyond linear, petrochemical material systems, the project opens up an experimental space between material science, textile development, and speculative design, inviting us to rethink how future materials are conceived, produced, and experienced. Together with the artists of SurrealLabor (Julia Ihls, Andreas Hölldorfer, Marius Probst) and research perspectives from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, we will explore: • How can biological cycles inspire new material logics? • Where do art and design challenge and expand scientific research? • What might bio-based textiles mean for the future of textiles, architecture, and the body? • Can waste streams become valuable resources for a circular bioeconomy? In the project that is funded by the Fraunhofer Network “Science, Art and Design”, the Fraunhofer IGB contributes expertise in applied research at the interface of biology and engineering, developing sustainable technologies for health, environmental protection, and the bioeconomy. SurrealLabor, in turn, brings a unique artistic lens, creating immersive spatial interventions that question and reshape our visions of future societies. Come curious, ask your own questions, and be part of the conversation on how living materials might reshape the way we design and live in the future. The project CHITIN_shelter was supported through the “Designer in Lab” programm of the Fraunhofer network»Wissenschaft, Kunst und Design". More information: https://www.art-design.fraunhofer.de/

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