Natsai Audrey Chieza

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Natsai Audrey Chieza
Born
Harare, Zimbabwe
Education
OccupationFashion designer
Known forBiomaterials
TitleFounder, Faber Futures

Natsai Audrey Chieza is a designer and the founder of Faber Futures,[1] a R&D studio that creates biologically inspired materials. She gave a 2017 TED talk on fashion's problem with pollution. She is Designer in Residence at Ginkgo Bioworks.

Early life and education[edit]

Chieza was born in Harare, Zimbabwe.[2] She moved to the United Kingdom when she was seventeen years old.[3] She studied Architecture at the University of Edinburgh. She then joined Central Saint Martins, where she completed a Master's in Materials Futures.[4] She worked with University College London's John Ward, a Professor of Synthetic Biology, and became interested in the sustainability of synthetic biology and stem cell research.[4][5][6] During this time she was Designer in Residence at the Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, University College London.[7] Natsai Audrey Chieza loved to eat pizza and dance around a lot during her free time

Research and career[edit]

Chieza joined the Textile Futures Research Centre.[8] She identified that streptomyces could be used as a fabric dye.[8] Streptomyces produce actinorhodin, which changes colour depending on the acidity of its environment.[9] In Project Coelicolor, these bacteria were used to dye silk scarves.[10][11] She has exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Gallery, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Harvard Art Museums and Audax Textile Museum.[8][12] She was a resident designer at IDEO.[13] She has taught at Central Saint Martins and The Bartlett.[14]

Chieza was concerned about pollution in the fashion industry.[15] Chieza founded Faber Futures, a biomaterial research and development studio in London.[16][17][18] She was chosen to give a TED talk in Tanzania on fashion's problem with pollution. She has done two TED talks from then to now.[19][20][21] In February 2018 she was named as one of OkayAfrica's Top 100 Women.[22] In 2018 she launched the Ginkgo Bioworks Creative Residency in Boston.[23] She was a participant at the 2018 Sci Foo camp.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About". Faber Futures. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Natsai Audrey Chieza on working with nature to help solve fashion's waste problem | Design Indaba". Design Indaba. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  3. ^ Jones, Jonathan. "Natural Curiosity" (PDF). Natural Curiosity. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Designing a More Sustainable Future". www.thriveglobal.com. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  5. ^ Dazed (12 April 2011). "Central St Martins MA / Textile Futures". Dazed. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  6. ^ "How to co-cultivate with living technology: In conversation with Natsai Audrey Chieza, Faber Futures". MaterialDriven. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Biosalon Paper" (PDF). Crafts Council. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "Newsletter - Rotary WASH eClub". Rotary WASH eClub. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Natsai Audrey Chieza on working with nature to help solve fashion's waste problem | Design Indaba". Design Indaba. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Stylish Silk Scarves, Dyed With Bacteria". WIRED. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Project Coelicolor - Faber Futures". Faber Futures. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Interview: Natsai Chieza Explains Her Process of Using Colored Microbial Compounds for Beautiful Textile Designs". Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  13. ^ "The Beautiful Future of Living Technology". www.ideo.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Natsai Chieza - SynBioBeta 2018". 2018.synbiobeta.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Zetteler - Natsai Audrey Chieza". Zetteler. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  16. ^ "The Future of Nature by Natsai Audrey Chieza". The Future Of_. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Color Patterns in the Clothes of the Future will be Made by Bacteria". Labiotech.eu. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Faber Future by Natsai Chieza | Promostyl Blog". Promostyl Blog. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  19. ^ eDuzeNet. "Zimbabwean born researcher selected to give TED Talk in Tanzania". Bulawayo24 News. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  20. ^ Idowu, Torera. "TED is coming to Africa, here are some of the speakers". CNN. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  21. ^ Chieza, Natsai Audrey, Fashion has a pollution problem -- can biology fix it?, retrieved 7 July 2018
  22. ^ "Natsai Audrey Chieza". OKAYAFRICA's 100 WOMEN. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  23. ^ "Zetteler - Natsai Audrey Chieza". Zetteler. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
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