Is this alive? Towards a vocabulary for understanding and communicating living material experiences

Living materials are a nascent material class where living organisms embedded and kept alive in the design outcome to achieve novel functionalities, expressions, interactions. Experiential characterisation studies with potential end-users will provide insights for developing these meaningful applications. Nevertheless, current literature lacks vocabulary communicate discuss user studies. To bridge this gap, our paper presents development of “Living Materials Vocabulary” consisting 45 descriptive items. Through term frequency analysis relevant in-depth interviews eight biodesigners, we identified set descriptions which clustered under five themes: origin, making, agency autonomy, temporality, impact materials. We selected representative items from themes compile final vocabulary. how can be operationalised further inspire future biodesign practice.