Dyachenkova, O. (2025) “Living Artifacts”: Perspectives on the Development of Digital Technologies in Biodesign – МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ

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Olga V. DYACHENKOVA
National Research University Higher School of Economics
12, Malaya Pionerskaia ul., Moscow, 115054Russian Federation
Art and Design School
e-mail: dyachenkovaolga@yandex.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-8501-4115

Dyachenkova, O. (2025) “Living Artifacts”: Perspectives on the Development of Digital Technologies in Biodesign

Abstract: Biodesign is the new industrial paradigm for material artifacts of the 21st century. This new design practice involves the integration of living organisms such as bacteria, microalgae, fungi and plants into design as sources of materials, generators of energy and food, sources of light, purifiers of water and air, regulators of heat, etc. Today, biodesign is coming into play with digital reality at the interface with the field of human-computer interaction. The main focus will be on how digital technologies can benefit "living artifacts", everyday objects that are alive during use and can grow, adapt and eventually die. "Living artifacts" require responsive behavior and opportunities for interaction, raising critical questions regarding care, symbiosis, cohabitation, and adaptation between humans and other beings. The concept of habitability plays an important role in this process, which is concerned not only with creating a suitable habitat, but also with maintaining the viability of the organism at the time of artifact use. The proposed concept discusses how we can experience and perceive the "vitality" of an artifact in everyday life. This concept has sparked a major debate in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). This article will attempt to bridge the gap in the unexplored role of digital tools in design by taking multi-species species and their relationships as the focus of biodesign practice. The paper will provide an introduction to computer-aided design, modeling, the use of 3D printing, and living electronic devices. The paper will highlight the specific roles that digital tools play in the creation of "living artifacts".

Key words: Biodesign, living organisms, living artifacts, living materials, living aesthetics, digital technologies, computer-aided design, human-computer interaction.

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For Citation:

Dyachenkova, O. (2025) “Living Artifacts”: Perspectives on the Development of Digital Technologies in Biodesign. International Journal of Cultural Research, 1 (58). 132–148. DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2025_1_132

DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2025_1_132