Mother Nacre

The pearl metastasizes as a means of protection. Irritants carried by saltwater are now carried by gloved hand, laid on tongue and made to glitter, we choose these spaces where beauty occupies. We find new ways to crystallize what is harmful and beloved. The evidence of our lives outlasts us, the presence of our childhoods exist in plastic which withers endlessly yet refuses to disappear. we grow so quickly and hold old gifts in new hands on the turning of the months. The pearl forms on microscopic levels and becomes visible to us as a gift of the light where no harm enters.

︎Welcome ︎︎︎

We worked with bacteria to create a nacre-inspired layered coating

We expanded our initial research to attempt vapor deposition of the material

We also experimented with a bulk material, biomineralized bacterial cellulose.

We made a diluted version first.

Then we processed it similarly to clay, removing excess moisture with plaster before sculpting it by hand.