Color Biolab

Color Biolab also known as Laboratorium is a transdisciplinary research laboratory

History
Color Biolab started in 2016 by biologist Maria Boto Ordonez and shoe designer Kristel Peters. Being part of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts KASK in Ghent, Belgium, the transdisciplinary research laboratory began by focusing on experimenting with new ways of creating colors. Its creation positioned KASK as one of the first artistic educational institutions in Belgium embracing scientific research in its educational program. One of the main principles of the research lab was to identify what the departments within KASK have in common, which was color. The Color Biolab contextualizes color in the contemporary art and design world by studying related environmental issues.

Members
Mario Boto Ordonez holds a degree in food technology from the University of Leon, and a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona. She was previously part of the Waag Society in Amsterdam working with artists and designers to develop their projects in the fields of bioart and biodesign.

Kristel Peters is a shoe designer exploring the possibilities of sustainable shoe design and focusing on circular economy models. She is particularly interested in searching new materials with low environmental impact.

In 2020, Peters left the Color Biolab and was succeeded by Heleen Sintobin, a furniture designer with a background of interior architecture. She graduated from the Royal College of Art, London. Her work conveys the power of materials in a contemporary design context.

Operation
The Color Biolab initiates hands-on research and reflection on the theory and properties of color. From growing mushrooms that are able to change the color of the wood that it grows on, to studying the cultivation of microalgae grown in industrial wastewater as a potential source of color pigments, the research lab approaches the color field from different perspectives: from sustainable production and application, to the use of color as a common language between art and science.