Fusing Polynesian Craft with Living Technology
Lucid Life | Marama Ora by Christopher Bellamy
It all started with a spark of curiosity — a genuine desire to explore a place where science, tradition, and biodiversity blend seamlessly. British designer Christopher Bellamy ventured to Mo'orea, a small island in French Polynesia, not with a rigid plan or specific product in mind, but with an open heart and a readiness to listen. This journey led to the creation of Lucid Life (or Marama Ora in Tahitian), a living design project shaped by interconnected relationships with artisans, ecosystems, and bioluminescent algae.
Bellamy's engineering and biodesign background equipped him with essential skills, but it was his time on the island that infused the project with depth and soul. Mo'orea, home to an active Polynesian community and a hub for marine scientists, provided the perfect setting for a unique collaboration that fused indigenous craftsmanship with biotechnology, resulting in objects that truly come alive.
At the core of Lucid Life is a material crafted from bioluminescent algae — fascinating organisms that emit a gentle light when touched or moved. Using this living substance, Bellamy and his collaborators developed three artefacts: a swimsuit, a neckpiece, and a drum. Each piece carries its own story, fostering conversations across various disciplines, cultures, and species.
The swimsuit arose from meaningful exchanges with cultural educator Tekoui ‘Jérémie’ Tamari. His tales of nighttime spearfishing — stories of lives lost and the deep bond between body and sea — shaped both the emotional and functional aspects of the design. This piece glows underwater, evoking Tamari's philosophy of interdependence with the ocean while embodying a sense of both vulnerability and strength. It’s not just a wearable item; it’s a tribute to lived experiences and ancestral wisdom.
The neckpiece emerged from Bellamy’s collaboration with artist and researcher Tokainiua Jean-Daniel Devatine, who also serves as deputy director of the Centre des Métiers d'Art de la Polynésie française. Together, they infused the algae-based material with delicate hand-cut mother-of-pearl fragments. Arranged in cell-like voronoi patterns — natural tessellations found in plant leaves, coral, and animal skin — the piece subtly responds to breath and movement, creating a gentle interaction between wearer and organism. It serves as an ornament, a living interface, and a reflection on interdependence.
The drum, which lights up with every tap, was created in collaboration with Hinatea and Moé Colombani, experts in tapa — a traditional barkcloth used throughout Polynesia. Initially, the drum featured a visual motif designed by a friend of Hinatea's. However, after thoughtful discussions, it became apparent that the pattern was too personal to be used in the project or to leave the island. In response, Bellamy developed custom software to generate a completely new pattern, allowing the design process to continue while fully respecting the original contribution and its cultural significance. This act also marked a shift in authorship, handing over creative agency and reinforcing a collaborative, culturally sensitive approach.
These artefacts were not crafted in isolation. Bellamy co-developed their forms with his collaborators in Mo'orea, building structures, shaping wearable pieces, and exploring their tactile qualities together. Once back in London, he integrated the living algae — a delicate process that required facilities like those at the Francis Crick Institute for biomedical research, where he learned how to maintain their bioluminescence over time.
Caring for these living materials became an integral part of the design process. The algae require light, movement, and rest, just like humans. What began as material exploration evolved into a form of companionship — a subtle, daily coexistence between designer and microorganism.
For Bellamy, Lucid Life goes beyond technical innovation. It is a reminder of how humans have long worked in partnership with living systems — fermenting, weaving, growing, healing. Many of these relationships have been set aside in favour of materials that prioritise speed, stability, and control. This project asks what it might mean to return to a slower, more attentive way of making — one that welcomes the unpredictability of life.
The project also invites reflection on authorship and power. Aware of his position as a white European male working within an Indigenous context, Bellamy approached each collaboration with care and humility. Local makers led the way. Boundaries were honoured. The process remained open and responsive. In both the cultural and biological dimensions of the work, he embraced the necessity of listening, adapting, and relinquishing control. True collaboration — whether with people or algae — asks us to co-create, not to dominate.
Lucid Life offers a quiet but radical rethinking of design. It doesn't seek to dazzle through scale or efficiency, but through relationship, resonance, and reciprocity. It reminds us that making can be a practice of care — one that glows gently, like algae in the dark, asking us to move differently, make differently, and relate differently in a world that is alive.
Featuring
Christopher Bellamy
biocrafted.com
@bio.crafted
Collaborators
Tekoui ‘Jérémie’ Tamari
Tokainiua Jean-Daniel Devatine
Hinatea & Moé Colombani
Naumi ‘Mamie’ Tapi
With support from
– MA Biodesign, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
– The Francis Crick Institute
– Making Lab, Making in Bio 2024
– The Gump Station, University of California
– Tahitian History Society
– Centre de Métiers d’Art de la Polynésie française
– The Coral Gardeners, Mo’orea
– The Atitia Center, Mo’orea
– The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
Photography
Ben Turner
Sundran Daniel Krebs
Christopher Bellamy
Video
Watch here
Sources
Lucid Life – What Design Can Do
Lucid Life – Ars Electronica / STARTS Prize