kombucha leather

activity:kombucha-leather

The lead image is by Suzanne Lee ([watch her TED talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_grow_your_own_clothes)) * **biomaterial** means a regenerative material created by living organisms, as contrasted with materials that must be mined or extracted, or require high energy inputs from fossil fuels * **kombucha** is a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast * **kombucha leather** is the dried form of the thickened layer that forms over fermenting liquid kombucha ## Design goals * grow microbial leather that can be sewn or moulded in ways analogous to leather, parchment or homemade paper * improve our production techniques to gain greater control over the attributes of the final material * test enhancements of the microbial leather such as coloring or waterproofing ## Project background Artists and designers are exploring the potential of microbial leather as a sustainable alternative to the ethically and environmentally problematic use of animal-sourced leather. [Parsons Sustainable Systems](https://courses.newschool.edu/courses/PUFY1100) is helping to advance this research. ## Questions Questions can be either frequently asked questions, or "next step" challenges we're looking to solve. [questions:kombucha-leather] ## Activities Activities show how to use this project, step by step. [activities:kombucha-leather] ...