Dafne

Dafne’s
skin

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A living exhibition at Milan Triennale 2025

Contact Triennale Press kit

a project by MAEID - Daniela Mitterberger & Tiziano Derme

"Dafne's skin" draws inspiration from the myth of Dafne, a nymph transforming herself into a tree, moving from the anthropogenic to the organic. In his famous sculpture -Apollo and Daphne- Bernini freezes the metamorphosis of Daphne in marble, her fingers sprouting leaves and her feet turning into roots. "Dafne's skin" shows a fragment of Dafne's transition: an enlarged cut-out of her skin that slowly changes throughout the exhibition through a robotically controlled, microbially induced patina. Patina—typically seen as a sign of decay—becomes the object of desire. It is cultivated, shaped, and choreographed in time, changing the appearance of the structure throughout the exhibition. The project defines architecture as a living, ecological system transformed through dynamic interaction between machines, microbes, materials and humans. In contrast to traditional building systems, "Dafne" views architectural envelopes as organic interfaces. The project considers patina and biological growth—not as signs of deterioration but as active contributors to aesthetic, functional, and ecological enhancement.

Wood - at the core of the installation - is a biologically active material that continuously interacts with its environment, gradually changing its appearance. On the light brown wooden tiles, the microalgae Tetradesmus deserticola is cultivated and grown in symbiosis with the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. Together, they form a dynamic, vibrant layer of deep green colour. The growth of the bacteria and microalgae is supported by four robotic "geographers" that constantly observe and measure the bacterial growth and an environmental system that adapts its behaviour depending on the needs of the microorganism. Based on this data, the robotic geographers, with their choreographed movements, regulate the environmental factors (humidity and light) in real time so that an adaptive, self-regulating patina forms on the wood surface. Through this, "Dafne" challenges the conventional notion that biological changes signal decay and demonstrates how natural development processes can be harnessed for aesthetic and functional purposes.

The project consists of these four main components: a living patina on robots that monitor the patina and visitors, an environmental system to help the growth of bacteria and an audio-visual installation. All elements are linked with a distributed control system that manages real-time communication, synchronization, and decision-making. Sensor data is continuously acquired and processed, allowing the system to adapt its behaviour dynamically.