Cyclic octapeptides composed of α-amino acids alternated with cis-3-aminocycloalkanecarboxylic acids, self-assemble as drumlike dimers through β-sheet-like, backbone-to-backbone hydrogen bonding. Heterodimerization appears to be significantly more favored than homodimerization, and this represents a novel approach for the design and fabrication of highly stable heterodimeric assemblies. A multicomponent equilibrium network based on fluorescently derivatized self-assembling α,γ-cyclic octapeptides has been successfully used to form light-harvesting/light-converting ensembles with a distinctive organization of donor and acceptor units able to act as efficient artificial photosystems.