Living Material at Signa

LIVING MATERIAL by Carly Semon
Living Material is a gallery of growth, preserving a community of fungi and yeast

These dried sheets of bacterial cellulose are produced in the first phase of kombucha fermentation. They grew out of a home made starter culture and a “mother” that formed with apple cider vinegar and kombucha. The connections between the community process nutrients, creating an environment where everyone eats. The richer the color of the sheet, the longer they were bathed; many of the darkest pieces come from a year’s long bath of growth.

Following a mother → child → mother relationship, their cooperative process generates layers of life. This process forms the sheets of cellulose that house a matrix of bacteria and yeast. Each layer records a period of time, revealing the complex proceses of simple life.

The shapes and symbols were inspired by different types of movement, the simple machines of our complex world. Inspired by the gears and drives found in manmade devices such as the geneva drive, harmonic drive, and planetary gears, the translucent material reveals the collective efforts of a community to us.

Living Material is a free gallery!

Fermentation Class Series with Avery Lambert
This series of fermentation workshop will be led by Avery Lambert, a microbial researcher by trade, and a food fermentation enthusiast!

November 1: Kombucha course - initial fermentation:
The workshop will consist of a mini-lecture/presentation on the world of food fermentation, and a laboratory where everyone will get the opportunity to develop their own kombucha pellicle, AKA SCOBY.

This is the first phase of kombucha fermentation, which establishes probiotics in sweetened tea. Participants will be provided with a SCOBY jar, tea, honey/sugar syrup, and a sample of the host’s SCOBY. This is a stand-alone class.

The second fermentation step taught on November 22, 3 weeks into SCOBY Development will use the culture you made in this class.

November 7: Sauerkraut by Region:
The workshop will consist of a mini-lecture/presentation on the world of food fermentation, and a laboratory where everyone will get the opportunity to start their own sauerkraut culture.

Unlike other means of food fermentation, probiotics in sauerkraut come directly from the cabbage itself, and not from a “mother culture!” Participants will be provided with cabbage from different locations (students choose one type of sauerkraut to take home), sauerkraut jars, kitchen gloves for kneading cabbage, etc. Students will be divided into groups to work with one type of cabbage each. This is a stand-alone class.

November 22: Kombucha Course- Final Fermentation
This workshop builds on our first course, and will consist of a mini-lecture/presentation on the world of microbiology, a group discussion on past experiences with food fermentation, and a laboratory where everyone will get the opportunity to make their final flavored product of kombucha.

Secondary ferments of kombucha develop carbonation and flavoring of the drink. Students who attended the first session will bring their initial ferments to the class to flavor and bottle their own product. This is a stand-alone class.

Students who opt out of the series will be provided with kombucha to flavor and bottle themselves. All relevant tools will be provided.

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