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Symbiocene, Living Furniture

Peter Nasielski

Profile picture of Peter Nasielski

Peter Nasielski is a furniture and lighting designer from California, currently researching  regenerative design at Central Saint Martins. Through his practice based research, Peter envisions a new role for furniture in an ecological context. Using design as a means to communicate the dynamics of living systems, Peter aims to educate through functional artifacts with the goal of increasing individuals' ecological awareness.

Peter Nasielski is a furniture and lighting designer from California, currently researching...

This collection explores life in the Symbiocene at the scale of the home and the individual through living bioactive furniture. The Symbiocene could be the next chapter in Earth’s history, an era in which human society becomes fully integrated with physical and living systems at all scales.  

In this future vision, furniture takes on a new role, fostering symbiotic relationships between individuals and photosynthetic microalgae. This regenerative paradigm leverages the incredible properties of Spirulina, an edible species of cyanobacteria that captures atmospheric carbon more efficiently than any terrestrial plant.  

Each piece of furniture functions as a photobioreactor, or a device for growing algae. The algae growing within the pieces generates a source of fresh oxygen and of edible, vegan protein directly in the home. 

Engaging with the algae in daily life expands an individual's Ecological Awareness, fostering symbiotic relationships between individuals and photosynthetic microalgae. 

This collection furthers conversations around how we can intermesh our lives with living systems to benefit our shared planetary ecosystem.

Final work

Symbiocene, Living Furniture - Trailer

  • Image showing a semitransparent privacy screen filled with green algae
  • Image of an algae integrated privacy screen
  • Image of an algae integrated privacy screen
  • close up image of a circle algae screen
  • Image of an algae integrated privacy screen
  • Image of an algae integrated privacy screen viewed from the side
  • image of transparent furniture with green algae inside
  • image of a tabletop with green algae
  • Image of a table containing photosynthetic microalgae

Research and process

  • Digital image showing a series of five algae solar panels. Transparent panels with green algae inside.
  • Digital image showing a series of five algae solar panels. Transparent panels with green algae inside.
  • Image of an algae integrated panel
Image showing white algae panel with organic pattern

Algae Panel Detail

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Symbiocene, Living Furniture

This collection explores life in the Symbiocene at the scale of the home and the individual through living bioactive furniture. The Symbiocene could be the next chapter in Earth’s history, an era in which human society becomes fully ...

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