Adrian Madlener • 11-12 MAY
Xylinum Cones by Hülsen and Schwabe
11-12 May 2022
IE Tower: P.º de la Castellana, 259E (Torre Caleido) 28046 Madrid
Jannis Hülsen and Stefan Schwabe’s Xylinum Cones use living bacteria cellulose to grow geometric objects. Comissioned by Science Gallery Dublin, this project is part of the current exhibition Grow Your Own.../Life After Nature. The approach is part of a larger investigation looking at the general perception of new biotechnology materials.
Aiming for a pure, strong, and mouldable variant of cellulose normally found in vegetable fibers like cotton, Hülsen and Schwabe developed a production process based on micro organisms.
Within a growth peroid of three weeks cellulose cones ripen in suspended moulds, they are dried and can be added to a sculptural assembly. The moulds pre-determined shapes and subsequent combinations are inspired by natural reptile scale or flower seed patterns. These arrangements are clearly analogous with architectural roof tiles or clapboards.
With Xylinum Cones, Hülsen and Schwabe show that organically grown objects can be reproduced while finding the balance between geometric precision and natural diversity. They question whether or not the same systems and norms we employ in traditional manufacturing can be applied to new bio based methods. How much freedom is needed for natural growth to thrive? The aim of this project is to establish a transparent production cycle that visualises the moment of creation while still turning out tangible objects.
Photos courtesy of Jannis Hülsen and Stefan Schwabe
PROGRAM
11 MAY
10:00
Robert Thiemann
WELCOME
The ambitions of The Next Space
10:15
Juan Prego
Introducing Design Thinking
Our lead facilitator pictures the two-day journey
10:30
Kick-off
11:00
Talk 1 - Jenny Lee
People first
Why homes should be designed with people to make them sanctuaries for people
11:30
Miguel Oliveira (pCon)
Think, visualize, order
How software can support interior designers and architects to make the most of their creative design process by saving time to specify furnishings
11:45
Make-a-thon
Talk 2 - 13:00
Jaime Gonzalo
Seamless convenience
How tech can make residences more responsive to changing needs and circumstances
13:30
Gudy Herder (Eclectic Trends)
Leave No Trace
A hands-on introduction to material trends: how to make spaces tactile, inhabitable and future-proof?
14:00
Lunch at IE Tower
15:00
WOW concept Madrid
Site visit
16:30
Roca Gallery Madrid
Site visit
16:45
Talk 3 - Cara Eckholm: (Nabr)
Revolutionizing Ownership
Can the process of customizing, financing and purchasing a home be similar to buying a car – including post-purchase upgrades through an app?
17:15
Talk 4 - Lekshmy Parameswaran and László Herczeg
Caring communities
How our homes can empower us to connect, self-organise and care for each other as we live, work and age
17:45
Make-a-thon (continued)
19:30
Cocktail and day closing at Roca Gallery
12 MAY
09:30
Talk 5 - Beatriz Jacoste
Transformative food
How a revolution in food production will transform the way we design habitats
10:15
Make-a-thon (continued)
12:00
Talk 6 - Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño
Adaptive architecture
Why spatial fluidity and ambiguity can make houses future-ready