Growby
Growby is a module where you can interact with the process of brewing kombucha. The brewing creates a fungus called Scoby, which can be used as a material.
Growby is a modular shelf system, with the possibility to be placed on your kitchen shelf. The user has the opportunity to check the process more often and reduce the stress of moving. By giving the user easier access to the whole process, the user can get a better connection, interest, and understanding of the brewing.
It contains several shelves and vessels by choice, and a lid to protect the brewing from insects and sunlight. The user can brew multiple sets of brews, and therefore can use Scobie's more often. With few components, the user can easily disassemble Growby to clean and maintain the vessels.
During this project, I experimented with using the Scoby to cover spare food, create textiles, and an alternative to paper. In the picture above I illustrate what the user journey can look like.
Semester: 8
Topic: Near future
Duration: 7 weeks
Tools: Fusion 360, 3d print, prototyping, Miro, Powerpoint.
The vessel is made with porcelain so that it is easy to wash by hand or in the washing machine. Because of the material of the vessels, the user can give them a personal touch by glazing them. The lids can also be chosen in different colors to give the user their own personal product. The shelf is formed to make it easier to insert the vessels, and the vessels have an upper shape to make it easier for the user to pour out the kombucha.
The main station is 95 mm tall, and the vessel is Ø200 mm. The Scoby grows the same size, but it shrinks to Ø180 mm when it is dried. The Scoby has been used for hundreds of years, and now people are still using it to brew kombucha or experimenting with its abilities.
An artist created a leather jacket, made out of the fungus Scoby. It can be used in many different ways, for example, meals for humans and animals. With its many abilities, I tested its elasticity to create wrapping paper for meals, form pots for plants, and create paper to write notes. With this exploration, I saw that the user could replace materials like plastic with the Scoby. Of course not everything, but some.
By creating this product, I want the user to be more aware of how much material we use and waste each day. The Scoby takes two to three weeks to grow, which makes it a luxurious material to use. By being aware of the material of Scoby, maybe it could expand the awareness of the everyday use of materials.
