LVMH

This design projects relies on Nature’s rhythm to create wood patterning processes in collaboration with wood-eating insects, soil microbial lifeforms and bacteria that naturally express colours for bio-tanning. By observing how vermi-etching and bio-tanning occurs in natural wood habitats and in soil, material designers Emily Boxall and Sean T Ross have developed a proof of concept collection to showcase the potential for collaborative crafting with composting bioforms. They propose to create a Compost Luxury Atelier for the slow production of naturally-patterned wood. This is a radical slow luxury project which resonates with time-aged wine and spirit production as it would take a minimum of six months and up to several decades to produce vermi-etched and bacterial engraved wood. Soft and hardwood materials would respond differently to the bacterial aging process and each piece of wood harvested from the Compost Atelier would be unique. Some samples could be pre-crafted by humans (as suggested with the inlay mahogany sample) before to be processed by non-humans (composting micro-organisms). Bacterial colouring can be applied at the end of the process. Once harvested the wood samples can be steamed clean, waxed or oiled.