pHen is an open-source tool for artists, allowing users to create with a single pigment source while producing multiple colors using just one pen.
Define the problem/need you are solving or addressing with your project. How does it address the Open Call criteria, such as environmental impact, social engagement, circularity, user experience, resource efficiency, and community-driven solutions?
Our devotion to colors comes at a cost. Pens, an object integral to our lives from childhood, are mostly single-use and not designed for recycling. Alarmingly, 10 billion plastic pens are discarded every year, enough to fill 1,467 school buses. The primary component of pens is ink, which often contains heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, solvents, and other harmful chemicals. Improper disposal of these inks can severely damage the environment and contribute to behavioral abnormalities in people, including hyperactivity. On the other hand, artists have limited access to eco-friendly alternative tools, and when available, they are often expensive—hindering the widespread adoption of sustainable practices and methods or simply these tools often fail to reach a broader audience, because of the lack of interest in sustainability when it comes to writing tools or art supplies.
Please describe your project, reflecting on the concept, inspiration, materials, technical aspects, methods and process(es).
Our goal is to create a sustainable colorant alternative that is both fun and engaging, encouraging
people to use it even if they are not inherently interested in sustainable practices.
To achieve our goal, we explored the possibility of creating an ink that can change its color. We were
inspired by the multicolored pens from our childhood and discovered that certain pigments could
change color based on pH levels for example fruits and vegetables or color producing bacteria.
We have developed the pHen pen as a delivery tool for this ink. It consists of a refillable marker
connected to two syringes via a 3D-printed adapter, containing acidic and alkaline solutions. By
adjusting these solutions, users can change the ink’s color in real-time.
What do you think makes your project innovative compared to the existing efforts and ideas in the field it addresses?
Since biodesign and bioart is a relatively emerging field, not widely known, and because of its
connotations beyond art, concerning environmental decisions, policies and overall mentality, we are
both showcasing the potential of creative uses of natural pigments, and make the experience an
immersive and interactive educational opportunity for the users.
By creating a pen with natural dyes, which can change their colors inside the pen by the user, we
believe, that pHen offers an innovative solution, to the problems or our current word.
Does it impact or reflect young people need(s) and how?
To engage people across a wide range of ages and biochemical knowledge, we have designed
different levels for preparing ink, each varying in ingredients and methods.
Level 1 is for beginners, children, and young learners. We recommend making ink from natural
sources such as fruits or vegetables, like red cabbage.
Level 2 is intended for an older audience, such as art and design students with access to university
labs. At this level, certain bacteria can be used to alter color hues in response to pH changes. For
example, we have experimented with J. lividum, which shifts from light purple to nearly blackish
purple. Level 3 is designed for individuals with advanced scientific knowledge. Since bacterial color changes
are typically less pronounced than those of fruits and vegetables, research suggests that genetically
modifying bacteria could enhance their color-shifting properties to achieve similar effects.
