Grow your textile - it interlaces itself, just plant it.

1. MICROKNIT
Grow your textile - it interlacesitself, just plant it.
BARBARA RAKOVSKÁ

2. CAN WE GROW
TEXTILES AND
HAVE OTHER
BENEFITS AT
THE SAME TIME?

3. KEY WORDS | DEFINITIONS
GROWING TEXTILES
INTERTWINE
PLANT ROOTS
WEAVING ROOTS
PARAMETRIC DESIGN
ROOTS STRUCTURE
WASTE REDUCTION
COLLABORATING
WITH NATURE
BIOFABRICATION
Digital
fabrication and
biological
synthesis
Circular economy

4. REFERENCE PROJECTS | ROOT TEXTILES
RootSkin - from soil to soil Zena Holloway
The roots of the wheatgrass
plant
InterWoven - Diana Scherer
The roots of the oat plant

5. FROM MICRO-GREENS FARM PLANTING
TO WEARABLE TEXTILE ?
• I want to prioritize the preservation
of the root structure post-harvest.
PAULA ULARGUI
Lara Campos

6. BIOFABRICATION | TEXTILE FARMING
BENEFITS OF CULTIVATION PLANTS
• Micro-greens - Example: Young wheat is considered a rich source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and
chlorophyll.
• Plants purify the air, Connection with Nature, Increased Oxygen Levels
• Emotional relationship to plants which are reflected in the material.
InterWoven - Diana Scherer

7. AIM | Biofabricating Root-based
Textiles / composits
• It is interesting to observe how humans can
manipulate nature for our own use.
ROOTS - invisible material
• I am intrigued by the hidden world that lies
beneath the surface.
• The dynamics of these underground networks
are fascinating, as they are incredibly strong
and can be manipulated.
•

8. LIFECYCLE | Biofabricating and harvesting
PLANT
EAT / PROCESS
USE ROOTS AS
MATERIAL
HARVEST
COMPOST
End-of-Life

9. RESEARCH | HOW I MIGHT WORK WITH
THE MATERIAL

10. COMPONENTS
OF THE ROOT
MATERIAL
- Root
composition
- additional
purposes
PARAMETRIC
PATTERNS
- Fabrication
process -
organic/
artificial
GROWING
SUBSTRATE
- Agar Agar
- Water
- Coconut Coir
- Soil
PLANT TYPE
- Root qualities
BIOCOMPOSITE
- Substrate &
waste material
The material
from which the
moulds that
define the
pattern are
made.
Shape and
material
properties
- computer
simulation

11. MATERIAL POST-
PROCESSING
ELASTICITY
- Glycerol
- Boiling /
soaking
MODIFYING
-(heat)pressing
-Laser cutting
-Sewing
-Moulding
COLOUR
- Natural dyes
- Biochromes
ROOT
BIOCOMPOSITE
- Mycelium
- Bioplastics
- bacteria
cellulose
SURFACE
TREATMENT

12. ROOT TEXTILE
STRUCTURE
ROOT
BIOCOMPOSITE
- Mycelium
- Bioplastics
- bacteria
cellulose
2D
3D
Fibers (yarn)
Modular pieces
PARAMETRIC
DESIGN
- Nature inspired
- physical
properties

13. GROWING
CONDITIONS
GRAVITROPISM
-Natural direction
of growth
- manipulation
with conditions
ROOTS AND
BARRIERS
- changing the
shape using
moulds (patterns)
NUTRIENTS
- Substrate,
fertilizer
GROWING
SUBSTRATE
- Agar Agar
- Water
- Coconut Coir
- Soil
INDOOR GROWING TOOLS

14. ROOT MANIPULATION | FABRICATION PROCESS
• Natural grow and human made materials
• Using of textile waste
• Or waste from hard structures?
• What about growing in other materials?
• The roots of plants weave themselves while
searching for nutrition and water within the
soil.

15. SYMBIOSIS WITH MAN-MADE MATERIALS | USE OF WASTE MATERIALS
Binding the 3D porous objects?
Roots work like a stitching thread...
Jiwei Kneipe - Compositional Structure - Beads