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Biodesign Challenge (BDC), established in 2015, is an international education programme and design competition that encourages the collaboration of high school and college students with artists, designers and scientists, to imagine, innovate and critique biotechnology and its future applications. Celebrated annually, the Biodesign Challenge Summit aims to raise awareness about biotechnology and seed a new generation of biodesigners who can integrate biotechnology with art and design.
After a successful inning in 2023, this year’s summit was organised to take place from June 13 - 14, 2024, at the Parsons School of Design and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. More than 150 students from 38 finalist teams presented projects lying at the intersection of art, design and biotechnology. The judging panel, comprising 30 leading experts in academia, industry and the arts granted design awards to 12 projects. The top prize, the ‘Glass Microbe,’ was awarded to Consume Our Consumption by students from The University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, 11 other exceptional projects that addressed global challenges through biodesign were awarded across different categories.
The winner of the competition, Consume Our Consumption by UT Austin, draws parallels between eating (consuming) and plastic (consumption) to realise an idea of a future with an endless loop of consumption, recycling plastic waste through ingestion and production. For this project, the team harnessed the ability of the gut microbiome Zophobas morio, which contains microbes which can depolymerise and degrade plastics.
Students from Universidad del Istmo (University of the Isthmus) secured the runner-up position with their organic pesticide Kan Beh, derived from the seeds of Guatemalan flora Argemone mexicana and propolis. The project integrates the knowledge of the traditional agricultural practices of Guatemala with modern biotechnological solutions to provide organic alternatives for chemical pesticides.
The ‘Science Sandbox Prize for Public Engagement’ award was accorded to BIOmatrix: WEAVING SUSTAINABILITY by EASD Castello, for their Reflejos Marinos initiative, which aimed to raise public awareness about the Mediterranean Sea's environmental challenges through educational and artistic engagement.
Nanyang Technological University's Urban Vein, which won the ‘Outstanding Social Critique Prize,’ offered a thought-provoking commentary on the commercialisation of the green movement. The project proposed a fictional footbridge in Singapore that devours important parts of the old city and creates a biophilic paradox by illustrating an ideal ecosophical state. The project shuns the capitalisation of sustainable initiatives that serve the human interest, advocating for genuine, ecosystem-centric urban planning.
The ‘Outstanding Narrative Prize’ went to Symbiotic Stitches from the Maryland Institute College of Art, for its quilting project that uses materials such as lichen, mycelium and slime mould, symbolising resilience and community care. Winning the ‘Outstanding Art Prize,’ Moholy-Nagy University’s pHen introduced pH-responsive drawing pigments derived from bacteria and vegetables like red cabbage, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional art supplies and reducing the wastage of multiple single-use markers.
The ‘Outstanding Science Prize’ recognised Shell We Dance? by the California College of the Arts, Architecture and the University of California, San Francisco, which transforms the waste materials from eggs and shellfish into a new biomaterial. The material is then processed into mouldable components and a complimentary adhesive that can be used as a component-based building system, adding to the structural strength of buildings through living bacteria. Salt Minds by the College for Creative Studies, which won the ‘Outstanding Field Research Prize,’ aims to create a standardised colour system to track salinity levels in the environment and consequently, advocate for a cleaner and safer ecosystem.
The ‘Outstanding High School Project Prize’ was awarded to the RelaxSense wearable biosensor bracelet designed by students from the Grace Church School. It detects early pregnancy through hormone monitoring, showcasing the potential of biotechnology in personal health. The Design Village received the ‘Outstanding Digital Submission Prize’ for Mirage: Eco Solutions from Marble Remnants, which explores the reuse of marble slurry for its passive cooling properties. Auburn University’s From the Ashes was awarded the ‘Outstanding Display Prize’ for creating the handmade Grand Bay Ink, utilising charcoal from prescribed burns to create educational installations promoting ecological awareness. Lastly, Auburn University’s Devon Ward won the ‘Outstanding Instructor Prize’ for his exceptional guidance and mentorship.
The summit also featured addresses from several esteemed professionals and sparked conversations on biotechnology and its integration with art and design to achieve sustainable solutions. In their keynote presentation at the MoMA, Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto of ecoLogicStudio talked about their recent publication Biodesign in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Deep Green. Bio-inspired performances by visual artist Laura Splan and artist Smita Sen highlighted the synergy of art and science.
At BDC, collaboration embodies the principles of inclusion, accessibility and intersectionality. The organisation believes climate action to be a collective responsibility, urging participation from every individual and welcoming diverse perspectives and approaches to contribute to the discourse in large numbers.
(Text by Bansari Paghdar, intern at STIR)
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