This week I had the privilege of collaborating with the MERMA research collective during an intensive biomaterials workshop led by our colleague Mauricio Vásquez-Rendón (Universidad de Medellín) in partnership with @Biofilia Material Studio.
Together with Piedad MG , Lucas Hoops, and Enrique García Alcalá, our transdisciplinary team—bringing together perspectives from art, architecture, design, and engineering—engaged in hands-on experimentation with agro-industrial by-products derived from nopal, corn, tuna, garambullo, and coffee. Through this process, we explored how these locally abundant residues can be transformed into biodegradable, bio-based materials with ecological and cultural significance.
This collaborative work is establishing the foundation for two forthcoming exhibitions and a series of applied research projects that we will present at international scientific conferences. As a Mexico–Colombia initiative, MERMA challenges conventional notions of agricultural "waste," reframing these materials as carriers of territory, memory, and cultural identity. In doing so, we argue that biomaterial fabrication and collective, ephemeral installations are not only creative practices but also rigorous methodologies for generating knowledge at the intersection of science, design, and the humanities.
I am deeply grateful for a week of experimentation, critical dialogue, and shared discovery across disciplines and borders. It was a reminder that meaningful innovation often begins with curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to work directly with the material world.
I look forward to sharing the next stages of this research as it continues to evolve.
