METABOLIC STUDIO
Metabolic Studio is a Los Angeles non-profit art and research hub founded in 2005 by Lauren Bon, integrating ecological remediation, water reclamation, and community-based practice through projects like Bending the River, Meandros, and Farmlab.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What METABOLIC STUDIO does
Metabolic Studio is a Los Angeles-based non-profit art and research organization founded in 2005 by artist Lauren Bon, operating as an interdisciplinary practice that integrates ecological remediation, water reclamation, and community-based environmental repair. The studio's portfolio spans infrastructure-scale projects including Bending the River (a first-of-its-kind water reclamation system with the first private water right in Los Angeles, Permit #21342, redirecting 106 acre-feet annually from the LA River to LA State Historic Park), Meandros (a decentralized network of urban unpaving and permeability), Moving Mountains (repurposing landslide debris from Topanga Canyon for ecological restoration), Farmlab (soil regeneration laboratory), Un-development (tarmac removal and soil remediation at former industrial sites), Optics Division (analog photography using regionally-sourced silver and emulsions), and Sonic Division (satellite radio and FM/AM broadcasting from Owens Lake). Underlying technical methods include the MARZ soil remediation protocol (achieving 41% average total lead reduction and 49% arsenic reduction through phytoremediation and mycoremediation), constructed wetland treatment systems, Hugelkultur soil regeneration, rainwater harvesting, and the LDSR (Least Disturbance Soil Remediation) DIY method.
The studio operates a non-commercial revenue model funded primarily through foundation grants, institutional partnerships, and public funding. All community programs — including Farmlab volunteer days, REIMAGINE printmaking sessions, La Milpa gatherings, the Interdependence Community Choir, soil testing workshops, and the LA River Farmers' Market — are free and open to the public. Customer/participant segments include the Los Angeles metropolitan community (engaged in collective ecological repair), Owens Valley (Payahuunadu) communities participating in IOU projects as compensation for water extraction, Native communities (Tongva, Gabrielino, Kizh, Shoshone) under formal collaborative engagement terms, and the broader arts and culture audience engaged through exhibitions, publications, and live programming.
Recent strategic developments include the 2024 launch of Meandros and Moving Mountains, the 2023 launch of The Smallest Sea with the Largest Heart at Desert X, expansion of the Meandros coalition network with multiple non-profit partners, and Lauren Bon's recognition as a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow. The studio operates from a 1745 N. Spring St headquarters in Los Angeles adjacent to the LA State Historic Park, a secondary site known as "The Moon" in Lincoln Heights, and operations at the Owens Lake silos in Payahuunadu (Owens Valley).
METABOLIC STUDIO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- METABOLIC STUDIO
- Legal name
- Metabolic Studio
- Website
- https://metabolicstudio.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Metabolic Studio is a Los Angeles non-profit art and research hub founded in 2005 by Lauren Bon, integrating ecological remediation, water reclamation, and community-based practice through projects like Bending the River, Meandros, and Farmlab.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
METABOLIC STUDIO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ecological Art & Environmental Restoration Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Sound Recording Studios (512240)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)
Keywords
Where METABOLIC STUDIO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
METABOLIC STUDIO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Foundation and Institutional Funding: Metabolic Studio operates as a non-profit art organization funded primarily through foundation grants, institutional partnerships, and public funding. The studio's work includes projects supported by California State Parks, regulatory approvals from state agencies, and partnerships with cultural institutions.
- Community Support and Donations: The studio generates community support through newsletter subscriptions, public engagement programs, and volunteer participation. Revenue is reinvested into community programming including Farmlab days, La Milpa, and the Interdependence Community Choir.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free community programs and workshops |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels11 records
METABOLIC STUDIO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metabolic Studio is an interdisciplinary art and research hub that executes large-scale ecological art projects combining art interventions with environmental remediation. Its work spans water reclamation (Bending the River), urban unpaving and permeability networks (Meandros), landslide debris repurposing (Moving Mountains), soil regeneration and bioremediation (Farmlab, Un-development, MARZ), analog photography using regionally-sourced materials (Optics Division), and sound transmission art (Sonic Division). All programs, volunteer sessions, and community events are offered free and open to the public.
Product overview
Metabolic Studio is an interdisciplinary art and research hub led by director Lauren Bon, operating as a single unified artistic practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The studio's work spans multiple interconnected projects and divisions: Bending the River (water reclamation infrastructure), Meandros (decentralized ecological repair network), Moving Mountains (landslide debris repurposing), Farmlab (soil regeneration laboratory), Un-development (urban landscape transformation), Optics Division (analog photography), and Sonic Division (sound transmission work). Additional programs include the IOU Series (Owens Valley engagement), Special Projects in Archiving, La Milpa (mutual aid garden), and REIMAGINE (printmaking collective). These projects collectively explore water, land use, energy, and relationships between humans, non-humans, and living systems through art interventions and innovative environmental projects aimed at reparation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Farmlab: A living laboratory dedicated to soil regeneration, seed preservation, and bioremediation within Metabolic Studio.
- Optics Division
- Sonic Division
- Bending the River
- Meandros
- Moving Mountains
- Un-development
- IOU
- AgH2O (Silver and Water)
- La Milpa
- REIMAGINE
- Special Projects in Archiving
Products and services
- Bending the River
- Meandros
- Moving Mountains
- Farmlab
- Optics Division
- Sonic Division
- Un-development
- IOU Series
- Special Projects in Archiving An initiative supporting individuals and projects by providing time, space, and pastoral care for collating and assessing material archives, including preservation work on artist archives.
- La Milpa A mutual aid garden activation and community gathering space at Metabolic Studio hosting public conversations, printmaking sessions, and collaborative meals with local street vendors in partnership with Inclusive Action for the City.
- REIMAGINE Printmaking Studio A printmaking studio where community members gather to create together, exploring screens collected over decades of protest and activism, accompanied by potluck dinners and ongoing activities.
- Junker Gardens Mobile deployable gardens created from junker cars for use in distressed urban environments, with vehicles converted into growing spaces while remaining mobile when pushed or towed.
- Portable Wetland for Southern California A sculptural modular system composed of artificial wetland tubs, water tanks, and audio components that mimics natural wetland cleansing of wastewater using scoria planted with native plants. Exhibited at Various Small Fires Gallery with permanent rooftop photovoltaic solar array.
- The Smallest Sea with the Largest Heart A large-scale environmental intervention at the Salton Sea utilizing accretion—a zero-waste process—to crystallize pollutants and cleanse water, featuring a to-scale mesh sculpture of a blue whale's heart charged with solar energy. Launched at Desert X 2023, ongoing.
- Not A Cornfield A transformational land artwork (2005-2006) that converted a 32-acre abandoned rail yard into a living field of corn, addressing issues of land regeneration, water management, and public space, leading to the creation of Los Angeles State Historic Park.
- Strawberry Flag A social practice installation (2009-2015) at the West Los Angeles VA campus featuring an aquaponic strawberry field in the shape of an American flag, engaging veterans in urban farming and printmaking.
- MARZ Soil Remediation A soil remediation experiment within Un-development 2 that transforms an industrial warehouse (former Standard Oil site) into a living riverbed using phytoremediation with willow plants and mycoremediation with oyster mushrooms. Achieved 41% average total lead reduction and 49% arsenic reduction.
Quantifiable outcome
- 41% average total lead reduction in soil remediation plots using plant-based treatments
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use METABOLIC STUDIO
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
METABOLIC STUDIO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
METABOLIC STUDIO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- California State ParkscorePartnership for Moving Mountains project where California State Parks received approximately 1,500 cubic yards of landslide soil for restoration at Los Angeles State Historic Park. State agency providing regulatory approvals and land access for Bending the River infrastructure.
- California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)coreOversight of landslide mitigation and soil transport for Moving Mountains project. Caltrans facilitated the transfer of soil from Topanga Canyon landslide to project sites.
- 18th Street Arts CentercoreFirst Meandros host site in Santa Monica, hosting two permanent soil columns as demonstration site for first cohort of network participants.
- Crenshaw Dairy MartcoreMeandros network partner conducting unpaving ceremonies and hosting soil columns as acts of commons-centered mutual aid and abolition for the Inglewood community.
- LA Eco-VillagecoreMeandros network partner in Koreatown conducting public unpaving ceremonies and serving as emerging pedagogical space for community ecological education.
- Inclusive Action for the CitysecondarySecond consecutive year partnership bringing Los Angeles street vendors to La Milpa at Metabolic Studio to prepare and share meals with visitors, sustaining neighborhood economies and preserving cultural traditions.
- TreePeoplesecondaryMeandros network member organization representing environmental expertise in water management and urban forestry for coalition building.
- Esperanza Community HousingsecondaryMeandros network member representing community housing organization participating in first cohort convening and ecological repair initiatives.
- Now Art PublicsecondaryMeandros network member organization representing public art expertise in the coalition for urban ecological intervention.
- Various Small Fires GallerysecondaryExhibition venue for Portable Wetland for Southern California project. Installed permanent rooftop photovoltaic solar array providing energy for the installation.
- Julie Fought / De La Cour RanchcoreLong-term collaborator since 2010 on Metabolic Soil Project creating and distributing compost to Owens Valley growers. Partnership generated rebound in fresh food availability and gave rise to IOU Gardens.
- Gertrude Stein Salon / Lone Pine CommunitysecondaryCommunity gathering space at 123 Main Street in Lone Pine for meetings, salons, and cultural events supporting Owens Valley community resilience.
- Lone Pine Chamber of CommercesecondaryPartnership on IOU Neon Restoration Project restoring vintage neon signs along US 395/Main Street in Lone Pine and Independence.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
METABOLIC STUDIO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Watershed Management Group: Tucson-based non-profit focused on watershed restoration, rainwater harvesting, and community-scale ecological infrastructure. Directly comparable to Metabolic Studio's Meandros unpaving and rainwater harvesting work in approach and DIY methodology, with parallel Southwest geography.
- TreePeople: LA-based environmental non-profit focused on urban forestry, water management, and ecological education. Active Meandros network partner of Metabolic Studio; shares Southern California geography and overlapping mission around watershed restoration and community-based environmental practice.
Emerging players
- Crossing Art (formerly Crossing Collective): Small-scale ecological art and environmental practice network with similar mission-driven approach to place-based, land-reparative art projects. Operates at smaller scale but shares Metabolic Studio's integration of art and environmental remediation.
Direct peers
- Ballroom Marfa: Non-profit arts organization in remote West Texas producing art installations in extreme landscapes. Comparable to Metabolic Studio's remote-site work at Owens Lake and Salton Sea, sharing the model of ecologically and geographically situated art practice.
- Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI): Los Angeles-based non-profit that examines how land is used across the American landscape through research, publications, and field programs. Shares Metabolic Studio's interest in interrogating urban land use, infrastructure, and human-environment relationships, with similar LA/Western US orientation.
- Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI): International competition and initiative designing art installations that also generate clean energy. Closely aligned with Metabolic Studio's Solar-Powered Portable Wetland and Bending the River infrastructure, sharing the art-meets-renewable-energy-and-ecology thesis.
- ecoartspace: Long-running platform and network dedicated to eco art practice, explicitly bridging art, ecology, and activism. Highly comparable to Metabolic Studio's hybrid art-environmental mission and community-engagement orientation, though operating more as a curatorial/network entity rather than infrastructure-scale practitioner.
- High Desert Test Sites (HDTS): Joshua Tree-based non-profit commissioning experimental art installations in the California high desert. Comparable to Metabolic Studio's work in Salton Sea and Owens Valley remote sites, sharing the California desert ecology and infrastructure-as-art ethos.
- Materials & Applications (M&A): LA-based non-profit architecture and art organization producing experimental installations including living buildings and ecological architecture. Comparable to Metabolic Studio's portable wetland and urban environmental infrastructure projects, with similar LA footprint and art-architecture-ecology intersection.
Broad incumbents
- Storm King Art Center: Large-scale outdoor sculpture park in New York's Hudson Valley integrating land art, ecology, and landscape. Comparable to Metabolic Studio in scale of land-based art interventions and ecological orientation, though operating an established physical venue rather than distributed urban interventions.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
METABOLIC STUDIO social profiles
Digital presenceMETABOLIC STUDIO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
METABOLIC STUDIO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
METABOLIC STUDIO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
METABOLIC STUDIO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about METABOLIC STUDIO
What does METABOLIC STUDIO do?
Metabolic Studio is an interdisciplinary art and research hub that executes large-scale ecological art projects combining art interventions with environmental remediation. Its work spans water reclamation (Bending the River), urban unpaving and permeability networks (Meandros), landslide debris repurposing (Moving Mountains), soil regeneration and bioremediation (Farmlab, Un-development, MARZ), analog photography using regionally-sourced materials (Optics Division), and sound transmission art (Sonic Division). All programs, volunteer sessions, and community events are offered free and open to the public.
Is METABOLIC STUDIO a public or private company?
METABOLIC STUDIO is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was METABOLIC STUDIO founded?
METABOLIC STUDIO was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is METABOLIC STUDIO based?
METABOLIC STUDIO is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does METABOLIC STUDIO make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Foundation and Institutional Funding is the primary driver. The others are community Support and Donations.
Who are METABOLIC STUDIO's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Watershed Management Group and TreePeople. Crossing Art (formerly Crossing Collective) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Ballroom Marfa, Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI), Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), ecoartspace, High Desert Test Sites (HDTS) and Materials & Applications (M&A). Storm King Art Center is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does METABOLIC STUDIO have an API?
No public API is recorded for METABOLIC STUDIO.
What industry is METABOLIC STUDIO in?
METABOLIC STUDIO's product category is Ecological Art & Environmental Restoration Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAO, Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement. Its NAICS code is 54171 and its SIC code is 8731.