Flora Cao
Kombucha Leather Crafts
Prompt: For this project we were asked conduct an exploration into creating and working with natural materials. I chose to make kombucha leather, which is a biofabricated material, sustainably produced by growing microbes known as SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) in a solution of tea, sugar and apple cider vinegar. Greenhouse gas emissions are significantly increased by the global livestock industry, and the production of animal leather requires substantial amounts of water and the use of numerous toxic chemicals. Kombucha leather, along with other microbial leathers are potential substitutes for animal leather.
I grew my SCOBY for about 6 weeks before taking it out to dry. I then made this tray and an origami dog with my dried kombucha leather.