UTERINE ARCHITECTURAL SPACES
by Selenia Marinelli
Selenia Marinelli
Architect and Ph.D, I investigate how biomaterials can support symbiotic relations and redefine architecture as a place of co-existence between humans and non-humans. I work for FVA - New Media Research as Project Manager in many EU funded projects on bioeconomy. I conduct as independent researcher hands-on experimentation on DIY biomaterials and I was invited in university courses as lecturer, tutor and expert in biomaterials applications for architecture and design. Among the experiences, I organised the 5-days seminar “DIY Biomaterials. Tools and practices for Material Activists“ with the Italian Pavilion “Resilient Communities” of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021.
Contact info
Email: selenia.marinelli [at] gmail [dot] com
Facebook: selenia.marinelli
Instagram: @selenia_marinelli
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selenia-marinelli-029659205/
What if our future cities could embed the "uncanny" as a new aesthetic value?
What if we linked architecture to the cycles of life, death and (bio)degradation to promote new forms of co-habitation, starting from a reflection on the materials which "inform" our spaces and mediate our experiences?
The bacterial cellulose samples become a means to describe a co-creation process and a model of multispecies cooperation. Starting from the creation of a habitat in order for the non-human to proliferate, the kombucha needs several weeks to grow and produce a biofilm and constant monitoring is necessary to ensure its growth. A “death ritual”, performing the contamination of the culture, was necessary to block further growth and harvest the bio-film.
The samples are used to visualise visceral architectural spaces which seem to pulsate, enabling the human to go through an intra-uterine experience where the space is strictly linked to the cycles of life and death of the living matter.
