2022 • Biology • Biodesign
The tissue cultures are propagated in sterile laboratory conditions using standard micropropagation techniques, but deliberately exclude growth hormones (auxins and cytokinins) that typically direct cellular differentiation. Without these hormonal signals, the plant cells continue dividing and growing but fail to organize into specialized structures, creating amorphous, callus-like masses of living tissue. The cultures are maintained on nutrient agar media that provides sugars, minerals, and vitamins necessary for cell survival while withholding the chemical triggers for organ formation. This undifferentiated growth produces remarkable organic forms that exist in a state of biological ambiguity—living plant matter that defies typical botanical categories. The tissue continues to grow and metabolize, creating ever-changing sculptural masses that blur boundaries between organism and material. The work explores how chemical signals direct biological form, revealing the plasticity inherent in living systems when regulatory mechanisms are removed. 
