Miriam Josi and Stella Lee Prowse (Aléa)

Aléa is an experimental design and material research studio based in Paris. Miriam Josi (CH) and Stella Lee Prowse (AU) co-created Aléa in 2021 after completing a Master of Science in Nature Inspired Design at ENSCI – Les Ateliers (École nationale supérieure de création industrielle, Paris).

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, biology, and agriculture, Aléa’s practice blurs the boundaries between disciplines.

Their ongoing research project  ‘Back to Dirt’ explores a unique bio-inclusive myco-fabrication process that utilizes mycelium, the root system of fungi, and local waste substrates to grow objects in soil. Winning the 2021 Boisbuchet Residency Award allowed them to test their process at full scale, where they grew the first underground myco-fabricated chair. Their process bypasses the need for sterilization and plastic moulds, examining the potential of mycelia’s regenerative capacities. Their research is supported by FAIRE Paris and has been exhibited at Pavillon d’Arsenal, France Design Week, FRAC Orleans, Biennale Amour Vivant, among others.

Aléa’s 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. Their 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.