Biomimicry: Wasp Nest Paper/Home/Garment
I stumbled upon the coolest blanket yesterday and wanted to tell my blog readers about this group of artists: Los Osos. Check out their product development slideshows and this awesome wasp nest blanket. I want one of those!
For inspiration, here are a couple of wasp nest images from my flickr pics ... the birdhouse engulfed (swallowed) by a hive of paper wasps is in my sister's garden on Vancouver Island. I've never seen anything like it -- have you?
Margie's wasp nest on birdhouse
Guardian -- look closely, originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.
I am using the term, Biomimicry, loosely, in an artistic sense rather than scientifically. My examples of a blanket inspired by a paper wasp nest may not technically fit the definition of "biomimicry" put forth by Janine Benyus of Stevensville, Montana in her book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. To me, it's a start in thinking about way to innovate by gaining inspiration from nature.
An example of true biomimicry/innovation inspired by nature might be an innovative fabric that changes according to the ambient temperatures -- deer have evolved a fur structure that changes it's properties in response to seasonal temperature fluctuations. Deer fur properties might inspire textiles for human clothing or building envelope structure and materials.
If you'd like to learn more about biomimicry, check out the Biomimicry Institute.
The Biomimicry Institute also has a newsletter available here as downloadable PDF files.
Here are a few other resources about Biomimicry:
Article in Bay Soundings (Tampa Bay)
Book by Janine BenyusBiomimicry Guild website
World Changing (article)
What people are saying on technorati about Biomimicry
A conversation with Janine Benyus
