Ari Feldman

Understory is a workwear line designed to protect conservationists, forestry workers, and wildfire remediation specialists as they tackle the threat of invasive eucalyptus trees. The garments are made from Eucortex, a unique textile made from eucalyptus leaf litter waste.

Role: Founder and designer

Project Duration: January 2025 - Present

Materials: Eucortex, Velcro, metal D-rings, cotton

BioSticks are fully biodegradable adhesive stickers made entirely from biomaterials. They are peelable, re-stickable, and adhere to a variety of surfaces.

Roll: Designer

Project Duration: September - December 2024

Materials: Cellulose, plant dyes, pine resin, soy wax, cotton

Process: Through multiple rounds of experimentation and iteration using organic materials, I developed an adhesive, substrates, and dyes. Combined, they form a sticker capable of performing the same applications as traditional labels.

Day Trip is a series of objects one might need on a day out. They are made from the dried and finished bacterial mat that is a byproduct of brewing kombucha, creating a tough yet pliable leather substitute.

Role: Artist

Project Duration: September 2022 - January 2023

Materials & Tools: Water, tea, sugar, kombucha SCOBY, coconut oil, waxed thread, Adobe Illustrator, CO2 laser cutter

Process: I started by growing sheets of SCOBY in vats, then dried them and rubbed them down with coconut oil. I created a digital pattern and then laser cut the bioleather, stitching them into a series of useful objects.

Climate change has many places, including California, in a nearly perpetual state of drought.

Rising food and housing costs make small home gardens an increasingly attractive option for urban dwellers.

As municipal water restrictions continue to become the norm, city-dwelling gardeners will need to turn to other sources for irrigation.

What if we could harvest the Bay Area’s plentiful airborne moisture?

Roll: Designer

Project Duration: September - December 2024

Materials & Tools: Mylar bubble sheeting, pvc, wood, arduino uno, temp/humidity sensor, 3D model

The relationship that we have with our stuff, the objects that form the background of our lives, is fundamentally broken. Modern industrialization has obscured the labor, resources, and infrastructure that go into making the things that we own. As a result, we devalue them; when they break, we replace rather than repair. This is perhaps most true when it comes to the clothing that we wear. The fashion industry generates 97 million tons of waste each year. Workers are underpaid and the cost of raw materials does not reflect a sustainable reality. 

With this project I wanted to highlight the need for repair, both on a personal and society-wide level. Using discarded fast fashion clothing as the textile source, I employed traditional Victorian era lampshade-making techniques, a process that is both laborious and time consuming. The result is a functional art object that highlights the preciousness of the things that we own and aims to inspire reverence in the ordinary.

Roll: Artisan

Project Duration: November - December 2024

Materials: Salvaged textiles and trim from second hand clothes, thread, second hand lamp stand, lightbulb

The Artificial Lorax is a speculative device for communicating with trees on their own terms. Trees have a vast mycelial root network for sharing resources and they also communicate with each other through the use of pheromones. This device taps into that pheromone network. Through the device, one can ask a question then wait for their slow, enigmatic response, which comes in the form of images, poetry, haptics, and a cloud of evocative scent. Deciphering this alien, multisensory message necessitates one put themself in the mindset of a tree: rooted and ancient.

Roll: Designer

Project Duration: March - May 2024

Materials & Tools: Foam model, Rhino, Keyshot, Adobe Photoshop

This speculative device imagines a future where we have moved beyond the need for silicon-based computing. Thanks to gene-splicing and bioengineering, we’ll be able to create a vast network of living computers, including personal devices such as this.

Flowers on the wrist band change color, conveying a range of useful information. This prototype displays temperature and humidity data, shifting from blue to green and red to blue depending on the sensor’s readings.

Role: Designer

Project Duration: September 2023 - May 2024

Materials & Tools: 3D printed PLA, Arduino GEMMA, wires, BME 680 sensor, lithium ion battery, armature wire, heat shrink tubing, polyurethane

Pivot en Pointe was my submission to the Aluminum Extrusion Council’s 2023 student design competition.

Role: Designer.

Project Duration: January - March 2024

Materials & Tools: Fusion 360, Rhino, Keyshot, 3D printed PLA

Subverse Industries started as an experiment melding high technology with traditional handcraft to create inventive luxury goods serving a perceived opening in the growing domestic and international festival scene. Sidestepping the traditional drawbacks of large-scale manufacturing outfits, Subverse leveraged technology like commercial laser cutters to apply the principles of maker culture to the creation of polished, professional-looking leather goods from a small studio.

Role: Co-Founder, Designer, and Retail Show Coordinator

Project Duration: March 2013 - March 2018

Scope: Aggressively studied contemporary festival fashion trends, implementing designs quickly with an eye for commercial viability and ease of manufacturing. Plotted the businesses retail strategy, including expanding into new markets and making important industry connections.

A standalone narrative exhibit inside an immersive art festival, taking the form of a field archeology museum for a fictional lost civilization. Attendees browsed multimedia exhibits depicting important “historical” artifacts.

Role: Project Lead and Designer

Scope: Built out structure interior, including ten freestanding flats that acted as the walls for the museum space. Modified and fabricated art objects, designed exhibits and displays, and directed the creation of informational text.

Photo credit: Chayna Girling

A multi-day immersive hotel party featuring two stage shows and numerous interspersed vignettes.

Role: Properties Master

Scope: Collaborated with Theater Director and Narrative Producers to create many unique props for stage and walk-about interactions, including nine keys that played critical roles in the narrative and a 20x20ft canvas for live on stage body painting.

Photo credit: Trevor Tarin and Chayna Girling

This manned installation took the form of an emotional energy based “power station.” Collaborators played scientists who spouted technobabble woo and encouraged participants to “channel” their negative energy to feed the crystal batteries. The installation incorporated spacial mapping using HTC Vive technology and responsive light and soundscapes.

Role: Environment Designer and Fabrication Lead

Scope: Worked closely with Project Lead to create the interactive installation and room decor. 3D modeled, laser cut, and constructed acrylic crystals. Sculpted handles for HTC Vive trackers. CNC routed platform. Created a coherent “brand” image, including logo design.

Photo credit: Chayna Girling