Materiom, a group of experts focused on circular design, are enabling everyone, everywhere to participate in the
next generation of materials by sharing recipes that use locally abundant natural ingredients and life-friendly chemistry.

Materiom is essentially an online open-source material recipe book for makers and designers. The “recipe book” includes recipes for kombucha fabric made from green tea, water and sucrose; and a bowl made from dried used coffee grounds, agar, water, alginate and glycerol.

The organisation was set up by specialists in the field of materials design, Alysia Garmulewicz and Liz Corbin, after meeting at Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Disruptive Innovation Festival in 2016.

The pair started working with maker friends and fellow scientists to source their first recipes, as well as exploring YouTube for some DIY guidance. They spent their time bubbling bioplastics over their own kitchen stoves and running workshops in Valdivia, Chile, to grow their collection of recipe ideas.

Materiom now include an international team of designers, material scientists and engineers based in Chile, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.

Keen to share their knowledge with as many people as possible, the organisation recently linked up with the Ellen MacArthur to build their online cookbook and spread the word to those who are also interested in making materials.

Materiom say: “Materiom is a non-profit working at the intersection of design, digital fabrication, ecology, and material science. We believe this multidisciplinary and collaborative approach is the key to unlocking a 21st century materials economy that is regenerative by design.”

Materiom

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief @rosamedea