BIOFLASKIN

Biomaterials + Inflatables + Skin

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DISCUSSION OF "SKIN REACTION"

Thinking about the definition of movement as an output to my costume's flexible part and having decided to make this part out of Biomaterials, I started looking into natural movements that i could replicate, based on a friends' suggestion. He reminded me about the plants that move based on contact. I then decided to try to understand how they work, what mechanisms made them move naturally.

Reactive Plants

Mimosa Pudica

The mimosa pudica moves via dehidrating itself, so it's all based on the flow of water inside it's leafs.

VENUS FLYTRAP

The Venus Flytrap, as many other plants, is a carnivorous plant. It has it's natural version of a touch sensor that makes it's water flow react and change the format of it's leafs which mechanically forces them to close up on the fly. It follows to seal its two leafs and once sealed turns that closed "cocoon" into a stomach, liberating a digestive liquid.

Many other carnivorous plants move similarly to the Venus Flytrap:

I realised these machnisms are all based on liquids! The liquid in these cases either function as "inflatables" or "deflatables" and thgus cause mechanical reactions on their outside membranes.

I am now on the process of testing out natural materials through which I could make liquid flows and how, in order to make my own second skin version of a liquid membrane for the soft part of my costume. I am also planning to test out the reactions of certain biomaterials.

INITIAL MATERIAL PLAY

When reflecting upon the mechanisms of movement on the plants that move on their own I started thinking of skin vs. liquid and the umbellical chord came to my mind as a nutrition channel that transports nutrients via liquids. Also veins and their visibility either by colour or in 3D through humnan skin made me think of the look and distribution of my liquid channels.

These first material tests were first of new Biomaterials that I wasn't able to test during the Biofabrication week as well as a couple of tests to embed water passages in some Biomaterials.

Agar Bioplastics:

3g agar 80ml water 3g rice seed 10g glicerine

mix all in room temp then bring them to simmer for a short period and quickly pour on the base.

FIRST MIX 8g agar 6g soap 9g glicerine 200 ml water

mix all on room temperature, make foam while still cold. Heat up the mix with the foam to simmeri and quickly pour on the base.

My mix got dry and the foam crackles were not connected, so I decided to pour another batch of agar on top of them.

SECOND MIX: 8g agar 8g glicerine 200 ml

mix all in room temp then bring them to simmer for a short period and quickly pour on the base.

Tapioca Starch Bioplastic:

5g tapioca starch 7g glicerine 200 ml water a spoonful of clay

mix all while simmering and pour on base.

This Bioplastic never dried

Painted Latex embeded with latex tube

I used my mould from the Textile as Scaffold week as a base for this test to start trying to make the material on a non-flat surface.

1. I covered the mould with baking paper in order for the latex not to glue on the wood
2. I painted the latex on the base, giving it 4 layers
3. I placed the latex tube on the still-wet 4th layer and painted on layer n top of it on certain regions
4. Once dry I painted 3 more layers on top of the latex tube to make sure to fix it also on the 3D regions.

I made a test with the alginate similar to the one I had done for the Soft Robotics week, but on larger scale. and with the channel in the shape of veins

1. I prepared my channels and cute them on baking paper
2. I prepared the Calcium Chloride using 15g of solid Calcium Chrloride and 200ml of water.
3. I embeded my paper channels in Calcium Chloride
4. I made the alginate mix using 500ml water, 12g alginate, 48ml of glicerine and 12g of olive oil.
5. I sprayed the bottom of my frame space
6. I poured the first level of alginate
7. I placed my paper channels
8. I poured the second level of alginate making sure to cover all the bits with paper.
9. I sprayed calcium chloride on top of it.
10. I put it to dry on the dyer

ALGINATE, MY CHOICE.

I chose to use alginate as my material. It comes from a powder extracted from the Brown Algae, this process is better explained under Alginic Acid, in Wikipedia.

This material had many qualities I wanted my Laboratorial Skin to have: It had some transparence, it was veagan, It looked a lot like skin when dry, It could be coloured in differnt shades that resemble skin tones, and most importantly, it was resistant to water, which was indispensible as I needed to make a bio-inflatable from it and inflate it with the Bacteriquid.

And thus I started my reasearch on its depths and found even more advantages...

CAPSULE SKIN BIOPANTONE

I have attempted to make a different range of colours algae-based Biomaterials in order to humanize the potentiality of the costume a bit more, despite the fact that I were to work with clearer skin tones with a touch of orange in them, more similar to Moon Ribas' skintone, I wanted to know what other bioshades could be used in order to try to emmulate skin in different colours and textures.

The recipes I used are:

1. 150 ml water + 3 g agar + 8 g glicerine + 1,5 g eggshell + slight pinch of rubi mica powder
2. 150 ml water + 3 g agar + 8 g glicerine + 1,5 g eggshell + 1,5 g annato seeds smashed in smaller pieces + pinch of rubi mica powder
3. 100 ml water + 5 g alginate + 16 ml glicerine + 3 g avocado seeds
4. 100 ml water + 3 g agar + 8 g glicerine + 3 g avocado seeds
5. 100 ml water + 5 g agar + 8 g glicerine + 3 g annato seeds smashed and boiled lightly in 50ml of water + 1,5 g eggshell
6. 100 ml water + 3 g agar + 8 g glicerine + 1,5 g annato seeds smashed and boiled lightly in 50ml of water + 1 g eggshell
7. 100 ml water + 5 g alginate + 16 ml glicerine + 1,5 g annato seeds smashed and boiled lightly in 50ml of water + 1 g eggshell
8. 100 ml water + 5 g alginate + 16 ml glicerine + 5 g annato seeds smashed and boiled lightly in 50ml of water
9. 100 ml water + 5 g alginate + 16 ml glicerine + 3 g annato seeds smashed and boiled lightly in 50ml of water + 1,5 g eggshell
10. 100 ml water + 5 g alginate + 16 ml glicerine + 1 g flaxseed
11. 500 ml water + 5 g alginate + 16 ml glicerine + 1 g coffee

GLICERINE QUANTITY TESTS

I have tested out 3 concentrations of glicerine in my base recipe in order to check which one made the most flexible, transparent and yet resistent alginate.

I used the colour mix # 7, but multiplied all by 10, so the base recipe I used was:

• 1 l water
• 25 g alginate
• 15 g annato seeds smashed and boiled lightly in 100ml of water
• 10 g eggshell

Then I added

1. 100 ml glicerine
2. 150 ml glicerine
3. 200 ml glicerine

BIOFLASKIN MAKING METHODS

RECIPE

The recipe I have decided to use (based on my colour and glicerine amount tests) is:

Start by preparing the annato ink to add to the mix, simmer together: * 1/2 tea spoon of annato * 100 ml water Wait for this mix to go cold or at least get to room temp. before adding it to the remaining of the recipe. When adding it, filter it through a very thin strainer while pouring.

While letting the annato ink go cold, start mixing the rest of the ingredients in a large enough container:
* 1L water

• 100ml glicerine

• 25g alginate

• 9 g eggshell

• a pinch of rubi mica

After adding the annato ink to this as described, mix it all with an electric mixer to fully blend the whole mix Leave this mix overnight in the fridge to make all bubbles disappear and thus have no weak spots in your alginate biomaterial. With this particular mix do not leave it for longer than 24 hours before pouring or it will calcify

Also I use the calcium chloride recipe all the time to work with the alginate:

• 200 ml water

• 15 g calcium chloride powder

Mix well without breathing straight from its evaporation preferably in a glass container

Pour into a spray container, preferably a metal one.

Tests with two halves cut on the edges

1. Make a sheet of alginate and spraying calcium chloride at it
2. Cut it in half and place both halves one on top of the other.
3. cut the edges of the two membranes
4. Press down very lightly allowing for some of the wet alginate inside them to come out, this has to be from both top and bottom half
5. spray the edges
6. Leave to dry

This is how to do it:

How to Make an Alginate Inflatable from Gabriela Lotaif on Vimeo.

These are some bio-bots I made this way:

Tests with fabric/ paper inside

1. Spray calcium chloride on the bottom of the frame
2. Pour one layer of alginate
3. On the side spray a fabric/ paper with calcium chloride, making sure it is cut smaller than the pour of alginate you have, this is your negative and what would inflate in your bio-bot
4. Place the fabric on top of your first alginate pour, making sure to leave at least 1 cm all around the edge free from it.
5. pour a second layer of alginate on top of the fibre and the wet alginate edges from the first pour
6. Spray on top of this with calcium chloride
7. Leave to dry

This is how to do it:

Tests with fabric inside from Gabriela Lotaif on Vimeo.

These are some bio-bots I made this way:

Alginate Inflatable for Dar À Luz, Eggshell and Olive Oil Based. from Gabriela Lotaif on Vimeo.

Alginate Inflatable for Dar À Luz, Annato Based. from Gabriela Lotaif on Vimeo.

Tests made with washable fabric

1. Spray calcium chloride on the bottom of the frame
2. Pour one layer of alginate
3. On the side spray the washable fabric with calcium chloride, it starts undoing itself so make sure to be quick and to have many small pieces cut around your main one to spray complimentary ones to the shape you plan to have.
4. Place the fabric and its complimentary bits on top of your first alginate pour, making sure to leave at least 1 cm all around the edge free from it.
5. pour a second layer of alginate on top of the fibre and the wet alginate edges from the first pour
6. Spray on top of this with calcium chloride
7. Leave to dry

These are some bio-bots I made this way:

Test with washable fabric using two halves

1. Spray the base of the frame with calcium chloride
2. pour two similarly shaoed and sized bits of alginate
3. Leave the op of both wet
4. On the side spray the washable fabric with calcium chloride, it starts undoing itself so make sure to be quick and to have many small pieces cut around your main one to spray complimentary ones to the shape you plan to have.
5. Place the fabric and its complimentary bits on top of your first alginate pour, making sure to leave at least 1 cm all around the edge free from it.
6. Take the second pour from the base membrane very quickly ands carefully, trying to keep as much of the wet alginate on top of it
7. Flip it onto the top of the first pour
8. Spray around the edges
9. Leave to dry

This is how to do it:

This is a bio-bot I made this way:

Tests with fibres on the outside for sewing and washable fabric

1. Spray calcium chloride on the bottom of the frame
2. Pour one layer of alginate
3. Place on the inside of the eddges of this layer the fibres you are using (mine are hemp fibres)
4. On the side spray the washable fabric with calcium chloride, it starts undoing itself so make sure to be quick and to have many small pieces cut around your main one to spray complimentary ones to the shape you plan to have.
5. Place the fabric and its complimentary bits on top of your first alginate pour, making sure to leave at least 1 cm all around of difference bwtween the fibres and it.
6. Pour a second layer of alginate on top of the fibre and the wet alginate edges from the first pour
7. Spray on top of this with calcium chloride
8. Leave to dry

This is how to do it:

Test with fibres on the outside for sewing and washable fabric from Gabriela Lotaif on Vimeo.

These are some bio-bots I made this way:

Tests with 1 pour and 1 membrane, THE ONE.

1. Make a frame shaped as you want your final bio-bot to be, but with about 3/4cm extra around the edges (the alginate shrinks when it dries).
2. Spray calcium chloride on the bottom
3. Pour a very thick layer of algiante inside it
4. spray the top of the pour.
5. Leave to solidify its membrane all around, but not inside, the time needed for this depends on how thick your pour was. I was pouring about 1cm thick ones and waiting for about 30 minutes to make my final bioflaskin, but staying close to it in order to keep checking how thick the outside membrane was.
6. Once you have a thick enough outside membrane to be manipulated and still some wet alginate inside make a hole where your inflatable would be inflated from
7. Slowly and extremely carefully presa the membrane to take out all the wet alginate from the inside through this hole. Try to make this process as delicate and fast as you can
8. Again super carefully blow air into your inflatable once it's all empty inside the outside membrane
9. trying to keep that air inside pour calcium chloride into the inflatable with the help of a funnel, be extra careful here as any slight funnel movement woukd brake the wall of your hole into a very despairing cut
10. Make sure the calcium chloride has reached all through the inside of the inflatable and then our it out through the same hole it came in.
11. Pour water into the bio-bot now in order to clean it's membrane insides from the calcium, so that it's not to stiff once dry. Be as careful and through as before. Once done, pour it out via that same hole.
12. wash the outside of your inf;atable with water as you did the inside
13. Leave to dry

This is the first time i accidentaly did this test:

This is how to do it:

1 pour, 1 membrane, THE ONE from Gabriela Lotaif on Vimeo.

These are some bio-bots I made this way:

The reasons for which I chose this method are quite a few that I saw advantageous when compred to the other methods:

• This inflatable, if strong enough when handled and very delicately so, is the most water tight prone to be one, as it is made of one single membrane with just one hole, that you have decided to make and where to position.
• This inflatable has not waste of alginate in its making.
• This inflatabe gives a thinner membrane all around and is thus the most transparent.

Rules on making alginate

Once I had made my many, many tests, I was able to come up with a few rules to making alginate, then there are some that I was already told by Anastasia (thanks!) that I included here:

• When making your alginate frame use a base fabric in it that you can spray calcium chloride into and it would get embedded there easily, so an absorbent one.
• Make sure that your base fabric has a texture that you like, as the alginate may show some of that texture too, depending on how it dries.
• Always make a larger alginate than you need, it shrinks.
• Never detach the sheets of alginate from the bottom fabric forcefully, let it dry enough to come out of it alone. (this of course doesn't apply to many of the techniques of making inflatabes, as with them you would have to take out your inflatable to wash it, that's the case when you MUST make you alginate bigger than what you want it to be.)
• Even when seemingly dry your alginate with sweat and atract mould and flies, make sure to leave it in a place where it can breathe.
• Try to make your alginate on a flat surface, unless you want it to be thicker on one of the sides. (the one that is down in that case)
• When drying your alginate, leave it in a flat surface for at lewast one day, or until you feel there is no more gooey alginate mix inside, that its dry enough not to change thickness, then dry on an angle, still on the base fabric. This allows it to dry on both sides.

BIOFLASKIN AESTHETICS

MOVEMENT EXPERIMENTATION

I started by designing 8 options of inflatables that I imagined could give interesting movement interactions to the performer. In order to do this I first drew initial patterns on top of my body like this:

I ended up with the following 8 designs:

I have then cut them out of cotton weave and in fact tested them in my body, achieving the following storyboards for each:

\1. Bum vs. Womb

\2. Lower Back vs. Womb

\3. Breasts vs. Womb

\4. Arm vs. Womb

\5. Shoulder Back vs. Womb

\6. Under Foot vs. Womb

\7. Removable breasts vs. Womb

\8. Back vs. Womb

After having felt in my own body what inflatables would give a more interesting range of movements to the performance, that had to do with my references of performance as well I decided to make 3 of them out of vynil, in smaller scale, to test out with my very small mannequin how they behaved when inflated with water:

FINAL BIOFLASKIN IN VYNIL

I have decided for the Inflatable that allowed the liquid to travel from the breasts to the womb and vice verse for the following reasons:

• The whole inflatable was place on the front of the body which made it safer for the performer to manipulate the liquid inside its structure without risking putting too much strength onto it and ripping it apart by mistake.
• The look of this inflatable is the on that most resembles the actual female reproductive organs, thus bringing imagetic strangth to the message passed by Dar À Luz, that the performer is wearing her body sort of inside-out and the gestation system is exposed, with her baby being the bacteria inflating the Bioflaskin.
• The manipulation of this inflatbale is much more one done with care and in a rather motherly way.

FINAL BIOFLASKIN

As I pointed out when explaining all the methods I tested in order to make the final Bioflaskin, I decided for the one I called "1 pour and 1 membrane, THE ONE."

When I made it, I was already working from home due to the COVID19, so I had to hand-craft a frame shaped as I needed it to be in order to obtain my Bioflaskin in the shape I wanted it, so I first used the pattern I had drawn on top of my body. Placing it dowen on the fabric frame I made to make larger alginate sheets I started build a smaller frame around it, leaving about 2/3 cm all around it, since I knew the alginate would shrink about that much when drying. I used scraps from that same fabric on the bottom and masking tape for this, rolling the scraps and taping it down in the shape I wanted to achieve. I have, however scanned the ideal pattern for the final bioflaskin and made a Rhino file with it, so that if anyone wants to make it, they can test out their alginate mix, see how much it shrinks and offset that pattern to the size they need their frame to be.

This is how it looked:

This is how my setup looked like when I made my final Bioflaskin:

This is me pouring, very carefully in order not to make the improvised frame move with the weight of the alginate:

This is a comparison of the initial pattern from which I made my frame and the final outcome and its pattern:

I have actually made 3 Final Bioflaskins, one got broken in half, the other had a hole and a thicker "middle section" than I wanted since the improvised frame moved from where I had taped it and the third was the one I went for:

FILE

Bioflaskin Open Source Pattern