Bactereature: design with bacteria functioning as a dye

Abstract

Bacteria have emerged as an innovative medium in Biodesign, yet their use as coloring agents is still largely framed by textile applications. Bactereature extends this scope by investigating pigment-producing bacteria as a living dye for porous ceramics and textured surfaces. Through iterative material tinkering with pigments derived from Serratia marcescens , this pictorial identifies porous ceramic bodies as effective carriers that absorb dye solutions and enable surface patterning. Rather than treating coloration as a fixed finish, we examined how porosity, liquid uptake, surface texture, time and environmental exposure shape visual outcomes such as color intensity, edge diffusion and fading. We present a set of textured ceramic artworks that serve as comparative evidence and synthesize the visual-material relationships observed into a practical pathway to design bacterial dye patterning beyond 2D planes.