TEXTILES.ORG
Last fall, Polybion™, in conjunction with design studio Natural Urbano, released a set of translucent sculptural hanging lamps, the biomaterials company’s first foray into interior design with its Celium™ material.
The lamps, called Lapso, come in two different tones, one darker than the other. Because the material is cultivated from bacterial cellulose, the grain and textures vary on each lamp.
The material is grown by feeding agro-industrial fruit waste to bacteria. During fermentation, strains of Acetobacter bacteria produce the material’s cellulose network as they metabolize the sugars. The fabric can be produced to be soft, firm, matte, glossy, opaque or translucent, and it can be dyed, embossed or tanned.
This collaboration took place over the course of a year, where the companies experimented with different thicknesses, tanning formulas, finishing approaches, designs and assembly methods.
“Design innovation often comes from listening, adapting and co-creating with matter itself,” says a release about the creation of the lamps. “Designers approached the material not as a substitute but as a creative platform.”
Each lamp is made to order from Natural Urbano in Mexico; Polybion is based in Mexico and Spain.
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