Aléa Work is an experimental design and material research studio based in Paris. Miriam Josi (CH) and Stella Lee Prowse (AU) co-founded Aléa in 2021 after completing a Master of Science in Nature Inspired Design at Ensci-les Ateliers.

Their work explores growth, decay and waste, with the goal to develop regenerative methods of fabrication while honoring beauty in the process. Situated at the intersections of design, art, biology, and agriculture, Aléa’s practice blurs the boundaries between disciplines.

Their ongoing research Back to Dirt explores a unique myco-fabrication process that utilizes mycelium, the filamentous structure of fungi, and local waste substrates to grow objects in soil. The Boisbuchet Residency Award allowed them to apply their process at full scale, where they grew the first underground myco-fabricated chair. Their process bypasses the need for sterilization, electricity and plastic moulds, examining the potential of mycelia’s capacities to remediate soils in situ and contribute to nurturing biodiversity.

Their research is supported by FAIRE Paris, Artagon ENOWE, and the City of Paris and has been presented at Pavillon de l’Arsenal, Amour Vivant Biennale, Fondation Thalie is Brussels, FRAC Orleans, Kadist and Galerie Sainte Anne in Paris, Design Museum and Zéruì Gallery in London as well as Paris and Milan Design Week.

2023 Aléa launched the Aléa Garden Lab, a long term transdisciplinary applied research project for bio-inclusive* practices at Domaine de Boisbuchet.

MISSION

Our mission is to establish a deeper relationship between the natural and built environment by designing autonomous place-based systems for a post-fossil fuel future. Our aim is to take a critical approach to biodesign to avoid a trajectory of exploitation and control of nature and to instead imagine new ways of making that interact and share control and benefits with the other-than-human.

SERVICES

Our work is based on three interdependent pillars:

Research: We explore and develop regenerative processes and technologies through material experimentation.

Transmission: Education is key to transforming design into a tool for change. We share our methodology through lectures and teaching at leading design schools and institutions.