Scar / Scorn / Soil: Tracing Beauty in the Wounded

This creative research project investigates the aesthetic potential of bio fabricated materials synthesized from acid sulfate soil to embody an alternative understanding of injury, repair, and ecological regeneration. Situated at the intersection of material innovation, psychoanalytic inquiry, ecological philosophy, and contemporary jewellery practice, the research explores how bio-based materials can transform scars and imperfections into embodied aesthetic experiences through material, visual, and subtle sonic perception.

 

The project employs acid sulfate soil collected from degraded ecological landscapes in Thailand as its primary material source. Melanin-producing Streptomyces bacteria were cultivated under controlled fermentation conditions to generate biofibres, which were subsequently extracted, purified, and verified using UV–Vis spectrophotometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). These verified biofibres were transformed through stitching, weaving, patching, and knotting into a series of wearable jewellery and textile-based sculptural objects. Rather than functioning merely as fabrication techniques, these repetitive craft gestures become symbolic acts of repair, recording traces of vulnerability, resilience, and material transformation.

 

Drawing upon psychoanalytic perspectives on memory, embodiment, and healing, the visible seams, scars, and reconstructed surfaces operate as metaphors for psychological restoration rather than physical injury alone. The scientific processes establish the material authenticity of the biofibres, while the artistic process translates these biological transformations into sensory experiences that invite reflection on fragility, regeneration, and the acceptance of imperfection.

 

Within the exhibition context, the movement of the bio-based materials produces subtle sounds through friction, tension, and bodily interaction. These quiet sonic qualities extend the work beyond visual perception, encouraging attentive listening as part of the audience's embodied encounter. Sound therefore functions not as musical composition but as an integral dimension of material presence, reinforcing the project's exploration of vulnerability, repair, and ecological interconnectedness.

 

By reimagining acid sulfate soil—traditionally regarded as degraded and unproductive—as a regenerative material resource, the project proposes a new aesthetic paradigm in which beauty emerges through transformation rather than perfection. Integrating scientific experimentation, craft practice, contemporary jewellery, and embodied sensory experience, this research contributes to interdisciplinary discourse on sustainable materials, ecological aesthetics, and artistic research.