BUCCI

2017

Bucci is a speculative “Gucci knock-off” that incorporates the agency of microbes and machines in an organic-mechanic synthesis to produce a posthuman garment. Developed collaboratively with co-designer Théo Chauvirey and supported by the Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology at Concordia University, the project explores the co-creation of material form across biological and technological systems. 

The design process focused on the autonomous tendencies of both microbial life and machine systems. Rather than enforcing control, the work allowed these forces to shape the garment’s structure, drape, texture, and longevity. Failure, whether mechanical glitch or biological unpredictability is treated as an active condition of material production.

Aligned with the slow fashion movement, Bucci engages two forms of cellulose: bacterial cellulose produced by a kombucha SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) and industrial cellulose filament extruded through a hand-built MakerBot to generate bioplastic structures. Together, these materials form a composite cloth shaped through the interaction of biological growth and mechanical extrusion.

The garment existed as a living system in suspension. Microbial life remained in stasis within the cellulose matrix, capable of reactivation through exposure to moisture and nutrients. The naturally acidic pH of the bacterial cellulose also interacts with the human body, subtly exfoliating the skin over time. Through wear, the garment could participate in processes of renewal, positioning fashion as a site of metabolic exchange between body, material, and environment.

Bucci was exhibited at the Rialto Theatre as part of Fashion Pop! (Pop Montréal) in 2017, at Boochfest in Ottawa in 2018, and at the McCord Museum as part of Printemps Numérique X McCord After Hours in 2019, among other events. 

Bucci has also been featured in PÉREZ BOBADILLA, Mariana and GUZMAN SERRANO, Rodrigo. 2022. “Biocultural Transformations: Fermentation as Artistic Medium.” Leonardo, 55(6): 665–675. The work is also discussed in: BOOKS, Courtney. “Plump and Pliant: The Preservation of Bacterial Cellulose in Textile Bioart.” In Living Matter: The Preservation of Biological Materials in Contemporary Art: An International Conference Held in Mexico City, June 3–5, 2019, edited by Rachel Rivenc and Kendra Roth. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute, 2022. https://www.getty.edu/publications/living-matter/snapshots/05/