LEO MILANO
A sample of eco-leather in a plastic bag with a handwritten label: Subject No. 13.

Photography

Test Subject

Bioplastic samples staged like lab evidence

Fungi-based eco-leather for TRIAR's R³Cycle project, photographed as a lab specimen rather than a product.

Year
2026
Role
Photography
Tools
Sony a6400
Context
Winner, TRIAR × HSE Art and Design School object photography competition, July 2026

This is a series made for TRIAR, a creative community, and their R³Cycle project, which focuses on the development of alternative materials. In this case the material is fungi-based eco-leather.

Since the product is still in development, I decided to treat it as a lab specimen rather than a purely commercial product. I wanted the photos to show the bright colours and texture of the material, keeping the props to a few lab tools so nothing distracts the viewer.

A gloved hand lifting a round beige sample out of a petri dish.
Red and amber discs of eco-leather held up against white by a gloved hand.
A black disc laid over a yellow one, held up with tweezers.
An amber sheet with green stains clamped in a lab stand.
Tweezers pressing a red sample in a petri dish.
A red disc lying on a flat white latex glove.
A blue-and-yellow marbled sheet in a metal clamp, close up.
A pink-and-yellow translucent sheet held up in a clamp.
Gloved hands cutting a red disc with scissors.
An amber sheet held up with scissors behind it.
Four petri dishes of eco-leather laid out on grey.
Early flat lays
Petri dishes of samples stacked in a column.
Testing arrangements
A lab stand holding two petri dishes.
The setup