Project Leaders: Lydia Kallipoliti, Hayley Eber
Fatberg research, design and production: Alexandros Tsamis, Foteini Kallikouni
Design by: Loretta Koch, Vaida Kidykaite
Project Year: 2022-2023
Location: Triennale, Milan
Type: Installation, Research
Status: Complete
The installation FATBERGS and Microbial Inhabitable Machines was presented as part of the exhibition We the Bacteria: Notes towards Biotic Architecture at the Triennale di Milano in 2025. The project investigates the hidden ecologies and infrastructures of waste, focusing on the formation and materiality of fatbergs which are massive accumulations of fats, oils, grease, and non-biodegradable materials that congeal in sewer systems. These monstrous formations expose the physical traces of overconsumption and the invisible infrastructures that support urban life. By revealing the microbial and toxic landscapes that lie beneath cities, the project reflects on the socio-environmental injustices caused by unequal waste distribution and the detachment between production, consumption, and disposal.
The installation examines fatbergs at three interconnected scales: the micro-scale of the kitchen as a domestic digestive organ processing organic waste; the meso-scale of urban infrastructure as a circulatory system; and the macro-scale of the territory, tracing how waste flows beyond city limits. The project also speculates on the potential dissolution of fatbergs through microbial processes and bio-technological systems that could transform waste into resources.
My contribution to the project focused on the research of materiality and the fabrication of the five main fatberg models presented in the exhibition. Each model represented a different stage in the process of waste accumulation, illustrating how everyday residues gradually merge and solidify into larger formations. The making of these models involved extensive experimentation with organic and synthetic materials to replicate the layered and viscous nature of fatbergs. In addition, I created a series of bacterial petri dishes that visualize microbial activity and decomposition, suggesting alternative cycles of transformation and regeneration.