Unfolding Value

Unfolding Value becomes Bioinspired Forum

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 07:37:51 +0000

We change name to Bioinspired Forum. The event will take place at Albanova/KTH and the Nobel Dynamite Factory in Stockholm October 15,16 2009. More information about the event will be published at www.bioinspiredforum.com.

The focus will be on Biomimetics/Biomimicry.

EOLetter Issue #3

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:56:06 +0000

Read about Unfolding Value in Encyclopedia of Life’s Newsletter

Preliminary date for Unfolding Value 2009 is October 15-16.

Report Unfolding Value 2008

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:18:56 +0000

Unfolding Value - Communicating Biodiversity October 17 2008 at Nobel Dynamite Factory, Vinterviken, Stockholm.

Within natural sciences, art, design and culture, inspiration is sought in the diversity, knowledge and aesthetics of nature. The seminar Unfolding Value - Communicating Biodiversity, organized by Mats Brodén and The Material Point on behalf of Stockholm City, showed some good examples of that. It also pioneered future interdisciplinary, global meetings and collaborations between researchers, politicians, artists, designers, students and entrepreneurs.
Read more>>

The framing couldn´t have been better; Vinterviken in autumn colors and Alfred Nobel´s old Dynamite factory which symbolizes resourcefulness, cultural value and international fellowship. Unfolding Value was inaugurated by Madeleine Sjöstedt, Vice Mayor of the City of Stockholm. ”In the meeting between natural science, culture and art, fantastic opportunities are created, ” she said, expecting the seminar in the Dynamite factory to be an “explosive experience”

Keynote speaker was James L. Edwards, Executive Director of Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) at National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. EOL is, to say the least, an ambitious web project aiming at giving all species their own page on the EOL web.

“Unfolding Value is an example of an event that should be repeated. I have learnt a lot during this day, and I really appreciated also having the high school pupils and architecture students here. It was very exciting to listen to the presentations about Biomimetics; it is a new cross-disciplinary field that is on the edge of really taking off,” said James L. Edwards.

Other internet based species databanks were presented; Royal Botanic Garden´s KEW-web site, the Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken), and ditto Norwegian, FishBase and AskNature.org. All of them are important tools in protecting biodiversity, in research and planning, as well as cultural and nature preservation. With support from the moderator, science journalist Eva Krutmeijer, the Internet accustomed pupils in the audience were given an opportunity to share their views of the future use of these sites. ”There are so many similar initiatives, why not merge hem to one site,” suggested one of the high school pupils. “The sites need to become much cooler for me to use them,” said another.

James L. Edwards promised that he would take home the insight that the Encyclopedia of Life should be responsive to the users´ needs, and not only to what the researchers believes the users need to know.

By estimate, 61 000 animal and plant species exists just in Sweden. ArtDatabanken at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), is on behalf of the Swedish government mapping all species in Sweden. One big and important part of the work is to spread the information about the species and how they live to the public. Among other things the knowledge is published in a series of identification handbooks with keys to the species – “The Encyclopedia of the Swedish Flora and Fauna”. A lot of work is put on producing top quality illustrations, told Johan Bodegård, Director of ArtDatabanken.

“This is the largest book project ever in Sweden”, he stated, and showed some examples of pictures they have produced. He continued: “We have just started to work on how to present the species on the Internet, and the young people´s input are important. What do you want to see, and what do you want to do with the species knowledge? Moving pictures, interactive functions, or illustration of how the species can be used in industrial development – there are unlimited possibilities!”

The initiative AskNature.org was appreciated by the young people and also by the entrepreneurs, designers and product developers in the audience. Christopher Allen, project manager for the portal at the Biomimicry Institute in Montana, USA told that AskNature.org will be launched in November 2008. AskNature.org is the basis of the Biomimicry Institute’s partnership with EOL, and it is initially funded by Autodesk, world leading software developer within design and construction.

” It will be the premier place on the web for designers, biologists, and business people to find biomimicry-based design solutions and develop opportunities for collaboration and “distributed innovation, ” says Christopher Allen, who defines biomimicry as “the practice of developing sustainable technologies inspired by ideas from nature”

”Autodesk´s R&D department are convinced that biology will be among the largest driving forces for designers during the 21st century,“ he says.

Biomimetic research and design
Biomimetics is the most common term in Sweden for the cross-disciplinary research area that with inspiration from nature´s brilliant design aims at creating new materials and products. Some exciting examples of Swedish biomimetic research were presented at Unfolding Value. First on the stage was Professor Tuula Teeri, prorector with responsibility for research at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, as wells as Director of Swedish Center of Biomimetic Fiber Engineering (Biomime). She told the audience that more knowledge about how cellulose is formed can for example lead to new environmental cellulose based composite materials with completely new properties. Moreover, collaboration with designers is important to the researchers at Biomime, she pointed out.

”They can give our research a form, and thus be a link from Biomime to the industry,” says Tuula Teeri.

Professor Tom Ziemke is Director of the Cognition & Interaction Lab at the University of Skövde, where they develop biomimetic robots. In one of the projects they have studied the behavior of rats to produce a rat-like robot, among other things they have studied how the rats uses their whiskers.

”We use animals as inspiration to develop information technology. To be able to do that interdisciplinary research is necessary, “ he says.

Even a yellyfish can contribute with useful knowledge. Shabira Abbas, senior researcher at SCA, has studied the jellyfishes´water holding capacity to be able to design new environmental super molecular models for future absorbing materials in diapers. An architect student from London Metropolitan School of Architecture participating in a course about ”Adaptive Production Ecologies”, asked her if the jellyfishes´ water holding capacity also could be applied on building materials.

”Yes, why not mix these materials with Biomime´s cellulose fibers for example, to get water holding materials,” Shabira Abbas answered.

Professor Teo Enlund from University College of Arts Crafts and Design, Konstfack, presented two master thesises which gave the audience further examples of how nature, design and science can collaborate; sailing shoes with adhesiveness like a gecko, and an automatic pool cleaner inspired by a Sea Beast.

Demand for interdisciplinary meetings
The questions asked by the pupils showed clearly that there is a demand for interdisciplinary meetings and platforms where different groups of the society can meet and exchange knowledge.
”Why didn´t we get a chance to meet researchers, designers and companies that are working with new environmental materials and products before?” wondered Ana Strizak, student at Norra Real Gymnasium natural science program. She participated in Unfolding Value with her classmates, classes from Rönninge Gymnasium in Salem and Österlen Gymnasium in Simrishamn. Ana Strizak advertized for more interdisciplinary university educations, where science and art are combined. Tuula Teeri answered.

”Biomimetics is a new research and development area, and it take some time for the society and the education system to adjust to new trends.”

Inspiration and good ideas about collaboration cross the borders continued to flow at the dinner and mingle at the Dynamite factory restaurant after the seminar.

The ideas will be taken good care of by Mats Brodén, who has already started to plan next Unfolding Value 2009. He believes it is important to see this first seminar as a starting point.
“ I see animals and plants as reservoirs of knowledge. With this event we open up gates to this knowledge and creates interfaces between different disciplines, ” says Mats Brodén.

Everything is about storytelling, he argues, whether texts, animations, computer games or prototype design. Even plants and animals can be seen as objects that triggers a story. Having access to knowledge is not enough. Furthermore, we need the ability to imagine things and to become more visionary. For example, using knowledge about animals or plant sensors can open op new worlds in the experience industry. Another good example is the music played during the break; The Stress Call of the Stinging Nettle, by the Swedish artist Christine Ödlund, where the chemical signals a nettle had been transposed into music.

- Next years Unfolding Value will be more about showing innovation prototypes inspired by nature in collaboration with researchers, designers, architects, entrepreneurs and companies. We also consider arranging a high school competion about best innovation inspired by nature, says,” says Mats Brodén and refers to www.unfoldingvalue.com for further communication about the plans.

James L. Edwards believes that an Unfolding Value sequel focusing more on biomimetics and applications in new materials and products could be a good idea. He gave the organizer the tip to also include Ethnobotany– a cross-disciplinary field which studies how humans use plants in different cultures, for example for medical purposes.

Christopher Allen would like to return to Sweden and his newly found network.
”Unfolding Value is a really good concept and I think there is a lot to win by developing it further”, he says.

Bo Andér, Director of Culture and Integration Support at The City of Stockholm, is very satisfied with the event at Nobels´s Dynamite Factory.

“ It is very important to us to give the Dynamite Factory a new life. Slowly, we are starting to realize the enormous value of the Nobel brand. The City would like to continue to use the brand, and we see a great potential in using the Dynamite Factory for this kind of interdisciplinary work and events where art and science meet. Unfolding Value is a good and evolvable concept.”

Written by freelance journalist Susanne Rosén

—
Unfolding Value
- Concept och production: The Material Point, Mats Brodén
- Partners: The City of Stockholm, EOL och SLU-ArtDatabanken
- Collaboration with: Biomime, SCA, Konstfack/University College of Arts Crafts and Design, The University of Skövde, Younoodle, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet/The Swedish Museum of Natural History, The Global Biodiversity Information Facility/GBIF Sweden and FishBase.

Networking with Christopher Allen AskNature.org/Biomimicry Institute

admin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:05:29 +0000

“AskNature.org will be the premier place on the web for designers, biologists, and business people to find biomimicry-based design solutions and develop opportunities for collaboration and “distributed innovation,”says Christopher Allen, Project Manager for the web portal at the Biomimicry Institute in Montana, USA. Read more>>

The design portal will be launched at the conference Green Build in Boston November 17-19. It is the basis of the Biomimicry Institute’s partnership with Encyclopedia of Life, EOL, and it is initially funded by Autodesk, world leading software developer within design and construction.

” Autodesk´s R&D department told us they are convinced that biology will be among the largest driving forces for designers during the 21st century, “says Christopher Allen, whose specialty is the management, strategy and commercialization part of sustainable development.

He gave a preview of the AskNature.org content at the seminar Unfolding Value - Communicating Biodiversity October 17 at the Nobel Dynamite Factory in Stockholm, where also Prof. Tuula Teeri from Biomime gave a speech. Two days earlier, Christopher Allen attended a mini-seminar at AlbaNova University center where architectural students from the Royal School of Technology (KTH) and London Metropolitan School of Architecture in London could hear Prof. Mikael Lindström and Assoc. Prof. Harry Brumer present the research performed at Biomime. Special focus was laid on the self-assembly phenomena, and on the discussion about future biomimetic materials and design.

Biomimicry is defined by the Biomimicry Institute as “the practice of developing sustainable technologies inspired by ideas from Nature”. The interest for this topic is growing very steadily, both in the US and around the world. According to Christopher Allen, the institute´s budget is going to double next year, and he believes the institute will continue to grow quite rapidly.

“ We are going to see biology play a bigger and bigger role in design, and we think that the institute is going to be a major factor for that, at least in the US. Our goal is to develop international partnerships to promote bioimicry, and I see this trip to Sweden as a great networking opportunity and a way to promote our projects, and maybe form some strategic partnerships.”

The Biomimicry Institute was founded two years ago by Janine Benyus, the author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. She first started off doing her work through the Biomimicry Guild, tells Christopher Allen, which is a full profit consultancy organization, but she soon saw the need for a non-profit education organization.

“The Institute wants to create more societal value, teaching biomimicry as a way to look for solutions to sustainability challenges for the future.”
The AskNature.org project started because Janine Benyus saw that there is a lot of biological data “kind of trapped in biological databases or the biologists’ minds”, and not accessible to designers.
“She wanted to use the power of the web and social networking part of the web, to put design knowledge together with biology knowledge and to start creating those language bridges between the two,“ Christopher Allen explains. “The first year it will be a free registration model, just to test it out. Ask Nature’s fundamental knowledge base will always be free and open source, but we also looking at developing some premium subscription-based services as well.

The Biomimicry Institute mission is “to nurture and grow a global community of people who are learning from, emulating and conserving life’s genius to create a healthier, more sustainable planet”. Their work is focused on education programs; kindergarten to high school and university programs, as well as the informal education in museums and zoos and other venues. Furthermore, the Institute runs a programme called Innovation for Conservation program, where companies that are using biomimicry to create new services and products have an opportunity to contribute to species or habitats that inspired them. A network of 25 universities provides the Institute with cutting-edge knowledge and facilitates the curriculum around biomimcry from a biology and design perspective.

Christopher Allen says he would be happy to return to Sweden and attend future biomimetic events such as Unfolding Value 2009 - which most likely will focus on presenting products, prototypes and visions based on biomimetic thinking.

”Unfolding Value is a really good concept and I think there is a lot to win by developing it further”, he says.

Susanne Rosén

Artist Project 1 - The Stress Call of the Stinging Nettle

admin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:38:05 +0000

Human beings use many means of communication. Some can be seen (texts, gestures) or heard (spoken words, sounds), but there are also chemical modes, such as the smell of bodily odors.

What if these modes could be translated into one another?

That was exactly what the participants at the conference “Unfolding Value” could experience yesterday. The music played was a part of the artwork The Stress Call of the Stinging Nettle (2008), by the Swedish artist Christine Ödlund, where the chemical signals of a plant (a nettle) was transposed into music.

Yes, plants do communicate, and animals and humans can register that mostly in terms of smell. The odor of flowers is there to attract insects, the particular smell of a Christmas tree is actually there to communicate that it is dying…

Ödlund’s artwork takes its stance in something rather dramatic – the chemical call for help that an individual nettle sends out to other members of its specie when under attack from a particular worm. These calls has been translated by the artist into a musical piece that is beautiful and thought provoking, as well as moving.

You will find an excerpt of the work at Christine Ödlund’s web page.

Added Value

admin — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:56:05 +0000

Christopher Allen from Biomimicry Institute will join us and present Ask Nature.

Added value

admin — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:47:36 +0000

Mike Saunders, Director of Digital Media, from the Royal Botanic Garden/KEW will join us and participate.