Scobby

We created our future object by making use of the SCOBY leather that we used. The entire process of making leather out of kombucha for the first time was most definitely a strenuous process, one that required lots of trial and error through us making it. SCOBY and kombucha leather can vary in their outcome depending on small but drastic changes made to the environment it was cultivated in. We decided to go through this process in our dormitory lounge, where we gathered supplies such as a container, SCOBY, x-acto knife, raw kombucha etc. Our first reaction to the SCOBY was that it was thick in size, ranging anywhere from 1-3 inches thick. Some obstacles we ran into almost immediately were the fact that the SCOBY was difficult to cut through, making it hard to make thin slices of the SCOBY to optimize the amount of leather we could create and use for our object. After we made our combination of sweetened black tea mixed in with raw kombucha for the sliced SCOBY to soak in.

After it's soaked for at least two days, we allowed the SCOBY to lay out to dry on a surface like a wooden cutting board which soaks up liquids. Eventually, the SCOBY dried into the leather that was soft enough to mild and sew into our future object. In a while, a day or two after, the leather ended up hardening, officially molding into the shape that it took. The process was one that was valuable for both of us, to experience creating material for ourselves. Considering what we’ve learned thus far about making use of materials that are more environmentally friendly as well as biodegradable, it was extremely rewarding to see the final result of this SCOBY-making process.