This week marks London’s citywide celebration of design, the annual London Design Week at the Design Centre. An example of exceptional, forward-thinking design happening in the capital, Faber Futures is a research and development studio for biologically inspired materials, founded by trailblazing designer and former Monday Muse Natsai Audrey Chieza. When the studio was invited to participate in the 2023 Architecture Biennale in Venice, they created Museum of Symbiosis – an imaginary institution of the future for biotechnology. The project comprises a 1:100 scale site model made from bronze and mycelium, and a sonic installation to guide visitors through the stories of the museum’s compelling real-world collection of donated objects, from Maurizio Montalti’s 17th century microscope, a revolutionary tool for investigating life in detail, but also representing a colonial approach towards nature. Mushroom farmer and educator Chido Govera, meanwhile, revealed how indigenous knowledge can be reclaimed through revolutionary biotech. Told as a speculative science fiction, Museum of Symbiosis imagines a world that has used biotechnology for good, restructuring itself to a more harmonious and equitable exchange between humans and the rest of the living world.

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