Dutch designer Lieske Schreuder, at art exhibition Ventura Lambrate, has recently debuted floor tiles out of actual colored snail feces.
Her inspiration stemmed from a snail infestation in her garden. She began to feed the snails with colored paper (green, red, yellow, white, blue) that has a similar cell structure to plants they would normally consume. When they secrete their excrement in colorful patterns, pertaining to whichever colored paper they ate. Taking her fascination with snails even further, she's decided to take her research to another level by creating a snail laboratory.
"The result was that snails do not only eat colored paper, but also defecate in color, so blue paper means blue excrements! Snails cannot take the color pigment of the paper into their bodies, and that is the reason the excrements are coloured," says Schreuder.
Colorful Fecal Floor Tiles
Dutch Designer Uses Colored Snail Feces to Make Decorative Floor Tiles
Trend Themes
1. Sustainable Decor - Opportunity for designers to explore innovative and eco-friendly materials for aesthetic purposes.
2. Alternative Materials - Exploring unconventional materials to create unique designs while reducing waste in production.
3. Animal Waste Utilization - Use of animal waste as alternative materials in different industries including designing and decoration.
Industry Implications
1. Design - Designers can explore new material possibilities to create eco-friendly, sustainable, and innovative decor
2. Agriculture - Animal waste utilization in producing alternative design materials can yield opportunities for agricultural industries
3. Construction - Exploration of alternative materials in construction, such as these floor tiles, could reduce waste and provide opportunities for innovative building designs.