With the planet's natural resources on the verge of exhaustion and in a consumer society bent on producing waste in vast quantities, many designers are playing an important role in the research and development of new materials that are in line with the needs and challenges of the 21st century. This exhibition is a compilation of new materials that are currently emerging in the field of design. Engineers, architects, biologists, botanists... many professions are involved in the development of this field.

Materia gris (Grey matter) presents some forty or so “biomaterial” projects that are particularly interesting due to their biodegradable nature. The challenge for the future of industrial production - the elimination of single-use plastics and their replacement by more sustainable versions - lies at the heart of these projects. Leather made from seaweed or apple waste, textile fibres produced from pine needles, plywood obtained from corn cobs and many other surprising materials whose raw materials are algae, bacteria, fallen leaves, fish, milk, fungi, insects, coffee, kombucha, fruit, etc.

The participating designers include: Apple Ten Pam, Kosuke Araki, Basse Stittgen, Alix Bizet, Nacho Carbonell, Silio Cardona, Álvaro Catalán de Ocón, Baptiste Cotten, Crafting Plastics! Studio, Licia Desideri, Formafantasma, Carmen Hijosa (Piñatex), Manuel Jouvin, Fernando Laposse, Pascal Leboucq & Lucas de Man, Woojai Lee, Alberto Liévore, Gianantonio Locatelli, Julia Lohman, Tom Metcalfe, Mogu (Maurizio Montalti and partners), Naifactory Lab, Erez Nevi Pana, Tamara Orjola, Neri Oxman (Mediated Matter Group), Carolina Pacheco, Pierre Paslier, Rodrigo García González y equipo Notpla, Jorge Penadés, Inés Sistiaga, Studio Lionne van Deursen, Studio Sarmite, Studio Swine, Studio Thus That, James Shaw y Marjan van Aubel, Tessa Silva, Valdis Steinarsdottir, Patricia Urquiola, Vollebak y Scarlett Yang.