Featured Case Study

From a Pea Seed Surface to a Gift from Brno

A scanning electron microscopy image of a pea seed surface became a textile design for the Brno City Municipality, connecting Mendel's peas, contemporary electron microscopy, Masaryk University research, and Brno's scientific identity.

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Model wearing a pea-surface tie with a matching pocket square.

Client

Brno City Municipality

Scientific Source

Scanning electron microscopy image of a pea seed surface

Research Context

Seed surface properties, germination, longevity, and pathogen resistance

Finished Pieces

Scarves, ties, and pocket squares for official gifts

The Scientific Source

The image came first

The source image shows the surface of a pea seed captured by scanning electron microscopy during seed-surface research at Masaryk University.

The image was obtained by Zlata Kelar Tučeková at DPPT, SCI MUNI, using a TESCAN MIRA3 microscope — electron microscopy technology developed in Brno. To reveal the microscopic surface details, the seed was coated with a 20 nm layer of gold and palladium and imaged at 5 kV acceleration voltage.

The pea seeds were provided by the Czech company SEMO Smržice and used in research exploring how plasma treatment can modify seed surfaces. Scientists study how these treatments may influence surface wettability, support germination, and help inactivate pathogens.

For SciCanvas, the image was the foundation of the design: a real scientific surface translated into textile form.

Why Peas Matter in Brno

A scientific gift rooted in Brno

The project has an immediate connection to Brno. In the 19th century, Gregor Johann Mendel carried out his pea plant experiments here and discovered the fundamental laws of inheritance, laying the foundation for modern genetics.

This specific pea seed was chosen to honor Mendel's 200th birthday celebration in 2022. It created a direct link between Brno's scientific heritage and contemporary research at Masaryk University.

Today, Brno is also known internationally for electron microscopy. The image therefore connects several layers of the city's scientific identity: Mendel's peas, current seed-surface research, and microscopy technology developed in Brno.

This made the image unusually specific. It was not only a strong scientific visual, but also a bridge between history, place, technology, and present-day scientific work.

Close portrait of a model wearing the pea-surface scarf. — The translated pea-surface pattern remains recognizable even in a softer scarf format, keeping the microscopy origin visible in a ceremonial textile context.

Design Translation

Translating the image without losing its origin

The pea surface already contained strong visual logic. Its structure felt almost planetary, like a landscape seen from above.

The design kept this sense of depth and movement while shifting the image from grayscale into green to preserve its connection to pea identity.

The final pattern became both abstract and specific: visually rich from a distance, and scientifically connected to the story when the context is known.

Scientific source

Original microscopy image

The original SEM image carried the structure that shaped the whole project.

Textile translation

From surface image to pattern

The translated surface moved from microscopy image into wearable pattern while preserving the image’s depth, rhythm, and connection to Brno’s scientific story.

Folded pea-surface tie showing the translated microscopy pattern.

Finished piece

Finished gift piece

The final tie carried the research image into a form suitable for official exchange and public-facing use.

Finished Pieces

Official gifts with a scientific story

The final pieces were created as meaningful gifts for international guests, diplomats, and official visitors of the Brno City Municipality. Instead of generic city merchandise, the pieces carried a layered story: Mendel, peas, electron microscopy, Masaryk University research, and Brno's contemporary scientific culture.

Model wearing a pea-surface scarf in a close portrait. — Scarf close portrait

Model wearing a pea-surface bow tie with a matching pocket square. — Bow tie and pocket square

Created For

Created for the Brno City Municipality

This project was created for the Brno City Municipality as part of a gift concept rooted in the city's scientific heritage and present-day research landscape.

Project Client

Brno City Municipality

What This Project Shows

What a custom SciCanvas piece can do

Make research visible

Scientific images can become pieces people remember, wear, and talk about.

Carry local identity

A design can connect place, history, research, and contemporary culture.

Become a meaningful gift

For institutions, a custom piece can offer more than branding. It can carry a story.

Next Step

Do you have a scientific image with a story behind it?

SciCanvas creates custom textile pieces from real scientific images for researchers, institutions, companies, and public organizations.

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