Tinkering with silk-based materials

A (sustainable) designer-in-lab

My first designer-in-lab experience occurred at SilkLab (Tufts University, Boston, MA); here, as a visiting PhD for six months, I had the opportunity to learn new lab skills and deepen my knowledge of silk-based materials, especially working with fibroin (the silk protein). Willing to understand how designers can contribute in highly scientific environments and transdisciplinary projects, I have dealt with new materials development, the environmental assessment of lab processes, and a visual representation of material tunability to facilitate scientists and designers in applying newly discovered materials. The initial visiting period was characterised mainly by creating a series of materials drafts and by a tireless learning process, asking and imitating colleagues in the creation of basic fibroin-based materials. The tinkering of a designer who enters a scientific laboratory for the first time is an ongoing work of assimilation of new notions that modify and expand the range of possible material experiments imaginable. The DIY-Material approach, empowered and informed by the possibilities of scientific lab space, finally paid off, and I could actively contribute to developing new fibroin applications and materials by collaborating with chemists and material scientists.