Biodiseño MX Exhibition Brings Ancestral Design and Living Systems to Museo Franz Mayer

Curated by Taina Campos, the 'Biodiseño MX: Territorios Vivos' exhibition has opened at Mexico City’s Museo Franz Mayer, bringing together more than 74 works by over 60 creatives. Notable contributors include Fernando Laposse, Resting Reef, Emiliano Godoy, Edith Medina, and Javier Senosiain, alongside emerging designers and interdisciplinary collectives. Hosted inside the historic venue, the exhibition is categorized into five distinct sections—Flora, Fauna, Microbia, Funga, and Bioinspiration—examining how living systems can actively participate in creative processes and prompting a vital reconsideration of the relationship between design and local ecosystems.

At its foundation, the exhibition champions a design philosophy rooted in collaboration, reciprocity, and interdependence, actively pushing back against anthropocentric and extractive models responsible for ecological degradation. By weaving Mexico’s Indigenous ancestral knowledge into contemporary design, science, technology, and cultural memory, the showcased projects position biodesign as a robust framework for confronting ecological and social challenges.

Visitors entering the venue are greeted by an earthen wall crafted from Oaxacan soils by Mixterra, setting the tone for the journey ahead. The Flora section positions plants as active collaborators rather than mere resources, presenting bioplastics and textiles derived from plant fibers. Meanwhile, Fauna investigates human-animal interactions through projects such as pollinator refuges, insect-derived natural pigments, and bioceramic sculptures fashioned from human ashes aimed at aiding coral reef restoration.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Microbia highlights the potential of microscopic organisms through bacterial cellulose textiles and bioluminescent designs, while Funga explores the diverse applications of fungi, ranging from mycelium-based materials to traditional rituals. The final section, Bioinspiration, looks at regenerative processes found in nature to propose sustainable living models, featuring works like 3D printed bioceramic eggshell creations by MANUFACTURA.