Living Textiles and Microbiomes as Tangible Data Interfaces

This studio introduces Living Textiles as an emerging frontier in Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, where microbiomes become active components of interactive systems. How can textiles be responsive to their environment? Can textiles be living and hosting skin biomes or even new probiotic communities of engineered microbes? We will explore textiles as tangible data interfaces, where microbial life becomes an active component of sensing, computation, and feedback. The studio aims to (1) establish microbial systems as viable computational and interaction materials within TEI; (2) provide hands-on methods for embedding biological function into textile architectures; and (3) foster interdisciplinary dialogue around the ethical, experiential, and material implications of designing probiotic textiles. The full-day, in-person studio is structured into four interconnected modules. Module 1: Computing with Microbes introduces whole-cell biosensors and microbial computation through guided mapping of personal and environmental microbiomes, grounding biological sensing within everyday contexts. Module 2: Biointeractive Textiles explores embroidery, fiber extrusion, and coating as programmable textile architectures for hosting living cells. Module 3: AI-Informed Material Experimentation uses open-source AI tools to guide the design of bio-based material recipes and speculative wearable concepts rooted in local ecologies. Module 4: Biomarkers for Health and Wellness synthesizes these explorations through speculative design, focusing on physiological and environmental biomarkers, data ethics, and future paradigms for microbial–human interfaces. The studio offers participants both conceptual grounding and practical experience in designing responsive, cohabiting systems. Living Textiles positions microbial life as a tangible, expressive, and care-based medium for interactive design.