Symbiotopia

SIMBIOTOPIA will show visitors the creative journey of the Basque BioDesign Center in its development of a "living" sculpture, installed in the municipality of Galdames, turning it into a unique meeting place that connects human design with the natural environment.

The sculpture was created to highlight the natural beauty of the Basque Country and demonstrate that technology can contribute to its development and regeneration. The installation has been designed as a biome that houses a series of ecosystems that coexist inside and around it. Insects, vegetation, birds and small mammals... all have their place.

Throughout the exhibition route, it will be possible to interact with pieces of the initial prototype in 3D-printed PLA and view up close the actual units used to create this symbiotopic construction. 3D-printed in ceramic, these are designed to adapt to the different habitats in which local flora and fauna need to flourish, offering them shelter.

Finally, we will show the exploration and research conducted to achieve the finish, which is almost like a second skin, on the 3D parts. Seeking to highlight the new sustainable materials developed at the BDC for projects such as URETAN (alginate) or KOM-UNION (bacterial cellulose), finishes that provide interesting aesthetic-plastic values to the sculpture and also, due to their ephemeral nature, which have a circular relationship with the ecosystem by offering food to the organisms that surround them whilst gradually biodegrading, disappearing in contact with water and the environment.

The exhibition will include graphic documentation such as videos and photographs showing the sculpture in situ, at various points of the intervention, capturing its symbiotic relationship with nature in Galdames. 

• For the more adventurous, a guided tour will be organised to view the sculpture in Galdames.*

For registration:

https://www.eventbrite.es/e/entradas-ruta-simbiotopia-708426080477

*Subject to a minimum of 10 people