Mosquitoes + Lemons

Winner of the RUNNER UP prize at BioDesign Challenge summit, 2022.

In this project I investigated the relationship between mosquitoes and lemons.

I started with re-imagining a purpose for discarded parts of lemons in the food industry and ended with an alternative biomaterial for mosquito nets.

During the process, I deeply studied the physical and chemical properties of lemons, developed new biomaterials with many different characteristics,

researched insect control and protection against Malaria and lastly, designed a regenerative system emphasizing the importance of ecological thought.

Eradicating mosquitoes at any environmental cost isn’t feasible anymore.

The aesthetics and visual aspects of this mosquito net aims at acknowledging the importance of mosquitoes and their harmony in nature.

Engagement from both a scientific and artistic point of view provided me with opportunities to gain profound understanding of all the elements involved in the project.

I want to argue that we can live more intimately with nature, co-evolve with insects and protect ourselves and all the other components of life at the same time.

We have to re-imagine what we call nature, how we interact with it and how we protect it.

Video presentation broadcasted during the "Bio-Design Challenge Summit 2022"

PHASE ONE

() LEMON DISSECTION

The curiosities sparked from the research conducted in the beginning of the project, pushed my through many phases of experimentation and methodological study of lemon anatomy and its unique properties. Dissecting and slicing a lemon in many different methods and then drying the slices or parts in oven or left in the air, I was able to observe the various inner pulp structures similar to molecular level juxtaposition , the light diffuser qualities of dried lemon slices and the physical properties of different parts of lemon fresh or dried. These close visual examinations helped me to refine the wide range of design opportunities in the beginning of the project.

PHASE TWO

() BIOPLASTIC EXPERIMENTS

In this part of the project I crushed/cooked/blended the lemon parts used in the phase one and mixed them with other materials and tested their mold resistance, flexibility, shrinking levels and their textures. Among these samples, few survived mold infestation, mostly the ones that had activated charcoal mixed in them.

PHASE THREE

() COLOR COMBINATION

In this stage, I conducted a new set of experiments to create a wide range of mixed and pure colors made entirely from lemon parts. Some new mixing colors techniques was the result of this set of experiments.

PHASE FOUR

() PATTERN MAKING

Instinctively, I became curious about experimenting with different pattern making and weaving methods with my materials. Parallel to these explorations, I kept pushing the material experiments forward. Through this phase of the project I discovered new materials with new physical properties. Some are sticky even dry, some are very flexible and some have rubber like qualities.

PHASE FOUR:

() CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT: MOSQUITO NET

Informed by the results of the previous phases of the project, I started to design a closed circular system where the design concept embodies the material explorations. The biomaterial that is entirely made out of lemon with patterns similar to my experiments naturally lead me towards thinking about mosquito nets, because lemon scent has abilities to repel mosquitoes. In the schematic below I demonstrate the full cycle of the biomaterial development and the end of life cycle.

In the next phase of the material development, I aim at working with lemon parts as the pure source of the bioplastic recipe. I will experiment with replacing starch with pectin and extracting oil from the lemon peels to make glycerol with. Lemon juice would be the acidic agent. This purist approach in creating material for the mosquito net has two benefits: one - The lemon waste itself becomes the only source of creating new biomaterials without the need to use any other materials, two - Lemon oil and lemon scent are embedded in the net therefore the net itself becomes a mosquito repellent without the need for insecticides.

Lastly I created 3d renders and visual representation of the multi layered mosquito net patterns and its application as an outdoor tent. Net patterns were inspired by the shape of mosquito wings, leafminers marks left on the leaves of lemon trees, the skeleton structure on the leaves as a result of herbivory and microscopic images of lemon peels.

PHASE FIVE

() PROTOTYPES + TEXTILE OUTCOMES

The natural next step to further develop precise molds and generating bio inspired patterns.

I tried different methods: 1: 3D printed and CNC cut molds for casting. 2: 3d printed dies that would punch holes into the semi dried material, this method had the advantage of creating precise holes, without the risk of tearing the material when releasing from the mold. 3: overlaid 3d generated patterns to achieve the moire effect. 4: created an array of straws to remove the material in rows. This last method created the most promising sheets of textile.

moire effect demonstrations

3d printed die to test the punch press method

CNC cut mold

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Mosquitoes + Lemons

Winner of the RUNNER UP prize at BioDesign Challenge summit, 2022.

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