India:Living microbes will ferment a garment!
Write:
Carew [2011-05-20]
Imagine a fabric that grows! A garment that forms itself without a single stitch!
Instead of lifeless weaving machines producing the textile, living microbes will ferment a garment. It smells like red wine and feels like sludge when wet, but the cotton-like cellulose dress fits snugly as a second skin.
The material is very delicate, comprising micro-fibrils of cellulose. The coloration of the fabric will depend on the wine used, red wine - red fabric, white wine or beer - a translucent material.
A fermented garment will not only rupture the meaning of traditional interactions with body and clothing; but will also examine the practicalities and cultural implications of commercialization.
This project redefines the production of woven materials. By combining arts and science knowledge and with a little inventiveness, the ultimate goal will be to produce a bacterial fermented seamless garment that forms without a single stitch.