The Crayfish Factory

The project examines existing living systems as an alternative to current manufacturing methods with the aim to reduce environmental impact by mimicking what nature does best.

Living organisms have evolved and adapted over geological times through natural selection, this has given rise to new technologies inspired by biological solutions.

After cellulose, chitin is the most widespread biopolymer in nature. It has great economic value because of its biological activities and industrial/ biochemical applications.

In nature, chitin can result in different material structures from the hardness of a crab shell to the flexibility of an insect wing.

Taking inspiration from the living kingdom, we examine how biological entities design and produces materials with the purpose of solving mankind’s depleting resources.

Every year in Sweden the annual Kraftskiva (crayfish) festival is thrown to mark the end of summer and welcome autumn. However, once the meat is extracted the shell itself is discarded.

The Crayfish Factory proposes to create a playful low-tech interactive factory that enables the public to play an active role in how we can reuse waste at a localised level.

In collaboration with scientist Dr Solmaz Hajizadeh