Meet: Chris Bellamy
- Written byGiada Maestra
- Published date 28 October 2025
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Christopher Bellamy graduated from the MA Biodesign program at Central Saint Martins (CSM), where he developed a strong interest in introducing sustainable innovations and solutions to the design industry.
He has been a volunteer committee member of the Sustainability Alumni Network since graduating in 2024.
If you're interested in joining the network or would like to share your ideas, we'd love to hear from you: sustainabilityalumni@arts.ac.uk.
What was a highlight of your time at UAL?
It would be the workshops, with no doubt. Whether for the support of the ingenious technicians I have received in solving problems, or seeing other students’ creations come to life.
Tell us about the work you do now
I am currently working full-time as a bio designer and have two main research projects. The first is called Lucid Life – a project facilitating collaborations between scientists and indigenous communities to create living materials.
The second is called Yanaa. A food project looking to disrupt one of the most ultra-processed categories of foods – sports nutrition. We use natural foods and biological processes to make athletes happier and healthier. Yanaa stands for “You Are Not An Astronaut”.
Did your experiences at UAL influence your work/practice? If so, how?
UAL helped me completely change the direction of my career. I went from being an engineer working to improve the sustainability of electric cars or shoes to being a designer working with living things.
This all came from being challenged to create work without a brief, with total freedom, time, resources, and encouragement to explore.
What does the word sustainable mean to you?
While sustainability should simply mean “to keep something going”, the term has grown, and to me it means much more than that. As we miss climate targets and our biodiversity plummets, we are no longer in a world we wish to sustain, and sustainability has become a term of retrospective hope. We are now looking to restore our planet to how it once was, and as a result, the term regenerative is starting to replace sustainability.
How did you find out about the Sustainability Alumni Network? And why did you want to get involved?
Having worked as an engineer developing sustainable innovations for nearly 15 years, I transitioned to the arts, as I believe there is a much greater scope for transformative change through the arts.
I heard about the Sustainability Alumni Network during my time at Central Saint Martins (CSM) and wanted to help continue growing this community of changemakers.
What do you want to bring to the network?
With my 15 years’ experience in bringing sustainable innovations to market- from electric cars to recyclable shoes- and recognising their flaws, I would like to support the creatives in the Sustainability Alumni Network to maximise the impact of their work through education and action.
What advice would you share on how to creatively respond to the climate emergency?
I think two key elements are unaddressed in the field of sustainability. The first are material systems and how they are used – incremental improvements to metals and plastics just won’t cut it! The second, and perhaps greatest, challenge in unlocking transformational change is the human factor.
Can you tell us about a project you’re currently working on?
Yanaa, the healthier and happier sports nutrition project, offers an eye-opening look into the food industry. Whether it is our legislation that encourages ultra-processed foods, or the complexity of food production techniques, I am finding it fascinating to learn about an industry that is five times larger than the fashion industry.
With You Are Not An Astronaut, I hope we can create an inspiring and compelling movement that reduces the impact of food production and improves human health.
And lastly, what/who is your dream collaboration and why?
I was recently asked to start a project with my dream collaborator! It’s top secret at the moment, so I can’t share details just yet. But it seems that dreams do come true.
