# Project Description ALWAKIA | Bacterial-Nacre Resistance Armour ELIE AL-MARJI Summary Final work Awards Winner | Graduate Award 2025 Elie is a creative director and biodesigner working at the intersection of regenerative design, sustainability, visual communication and material innovation. With over 18 years of experience leading global branding projects, he merges strategic design thinking with emerging biotechnologies. His recent work explores the cultural and ecological potential of nacre, using biofabrication to reimagine traditional craft and propose new ways of engaging with nature. Elie is a creative director and biodesigner working at the intersection of regenerative design, s... College Central Saint Martins Course MA Biodesign Graduation year 2025 Inspired by the violent suppression of student-led protests against genocide in Gaza, ALWAKIA (Arabic for The Protectress ) responds to a world where resisting injustice is life-threatening. ALWAKIA is a statement piece of protective gear, designed for student activists who risk their bodies to amplify their voices. Crafted from bacterial nacre, a living material grown with Sporosarcina pasteurii through biomineralization, it mimics mother-of-pearl without harming ecosystems. In the face of extractive systems, ALWAKIA collaborates with the living: bacteria, artisans, and activists, to propose a future shaped by care, resistance, and regeneration. Offering an impact-resistant, structured armour, the project draws on endangered Levantine nacre inlay traditions, fusing cultural resilience with ecological responsibility. As student movements rise globally in the face of genocide, war, and ecocide, this biologically forged armour becomes both shield and symbol. It empowers a generation to protest injustice while preserving the crafts and ecosystems they fight for. Final work View Gallery View Gallery View Gallery View Gallery View Gallery View Gallery Research and process View Gallery View Gallery View Gallery Share this project Inspired by the violent suppression of student-led protests against genocide in Gaza, ALWAKIA (Arabic for The Protectress) responds to a world where resisting injustice is life-threatening. ALWAKIA is a statement piece of protective gear, designed for student act... A link to this page has been added to your clipboard