Emma van der Leest
A product designer with great interest in the field of biofabrication.
As a biodesigner, Emma collaborates with different disciplines, including scientists, physicists, artists and designers. Biodesign, which is based on the principles of biofabrication, is a field that emerged out of regenerative medicine technologies. Biodesign incorporates living organisms e.g. bacteria, fungi, algae or cells into the design process. By discovering materials and processes, that nature has designed but hasn’t patented, we can search for new materials that are grown completely compostable and minimize the use of hazardous resources that cause huge damage to our ecosystem.
Emma interned at Biocouture London, the world’s first bio creative consultancy, and is product associate of the annual Biofabricate conference in New York, an initiative from Suzanne Lee, founder of Biocouture. Emma holds a research position at Willem de Kooning Academy and lectures at the Ecology Futures Master Program at St. Joost Academy. She also develops educational programs and workshops for Central Saint Martins London and Design Academy Eindhoven.
Currently she is guest curator together with writer and curator William Myers in close collaboration with Next Nature Network for the Dutch Innovation Pavilion for Floriade, the world horticultural exhibition that takes place in the Netherlands only once a decade.
Emma is also the founder and creative director of the BlueCity Lab, a laboratory where she opens up a wet and drylab for anyone who wants to research and develop new materials, from bacteria to waste streams following Blue Economy Principles. BlueCity Lab is located in the former Tropicana swimming pool in Rotterdam.