THE BARK-FOAM CHAIR

The Bark Chair (2024) is crafted from the artist’s own handmade, collagen-based bioplastic, a material she developed and named Orifex. For the seat, Sabrina incorporates a newly formulated, 100% biodegradable bioplastic memory foam. A motion sensor embedded in the piece activates an internal LED, illuminating a small microbiome enclosed in a glass bubble at the back of the chair.
Inside the bubble, agar and a fragment of natural bark create a habitat for micro-inhabitants that thrive and evolve over time, gradually altering the sculpture’s appearance and reflecting the organic behaviors of the life within. Natural bark is encased in bioplastic on the chair’s back, while branches, roots, copper, and bamboo weave through the structure, merging raw materiality with design.
This lighting sculpture forms part of Sabrina’s ongoing Sympoietic series, a body of work exploring co-creation with nature. Sympoietic intricately weaves together the realms of human, non-human, and technological life, establishing a web of interdependence and kinship. Drawing from both medieval and modern practices, Sabrina has developed a unique, 100% biodegradable collagen-based bioplastic inspired by ancient recipes for paint and adhesives. With this pioneering material, she creates interactive sculptures that respond to viewers through embedded motion sensors.
Through Sympoietic, Sabrina Merayo Nuñez bridges design, art, and science, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationships with the living and material worlds that surround them.

Is One Life Enough? Isola Design Festival , Milano Design Week, Lampo Milano, Milano, Italy