Sydney Salamy: Looking Outwards-03

The project Wanderers from 2014 is a collaboration between Christoph Bader, Neri Oxman and the Mediated Matter Group. The first part is a video demonstrating a computational growth process they designed. The video shows a series of computational objects that transform in very interesting ways as time goes on. They then used this growth process to create a sort of “clothing”. This clothing looks almost like glass sculptures except they seem almost organic and are made for wearing.

• I enjoy a lot about this project. First off, the pieces look very beautiful. The designs are varied and interesting, and look like glass sculptures found in museums. The experimentation with organic things like intestines gave the pieces a very unique look. Some of them, especially “Otaared”, looked like an exotic plant or creature found creeping along the darker parts of the ocean. The colors were also very aesthetically pleasing, with a tendency towards bright colors and pretty gradients as well. The mix of clear and opaque material also added something nice to the pieces. I admire this because I like art, so seeing how much effort was put into their looks makes me enjoy them even more, especially considering the looks were unnecessary. I say unnecessary because apparently the aim of the pieces was to have organic matter embedded into them in order to help sustain humans. They could have just been for practical use and not look pretty, but the creators still decided to put effort into the artistic side of the project. It’s also smart since it will cause people to want to buy them more. Their goal was very interesting to me. I liked the little descriptions for each of the four pieces, how each one was for a different planet or for the moon, and then how the pieces were made to fit the specific environments of those places. Most clothing doesn’t have a greater purpose like that. The idea of creations where the environment interacts beneficially with humans is also one I think is great. Whenever there is talk about humans and the environment, it always seems negative, like a one versus the other relationship. So the idea of having organic matter like algae live in clothing to help humans breath is a nice change.
• I haven’t seen the algorithm that generated the work. However, I do know it was meant to imitate natural growth behavior. I assume it is a pretty advanced algorithm considering the results it created, especially since the results vary greatly in their looks.
• The artistic sensibilities of the artist are pretty much all mentioned above in the “what I admire about it” section. Their interest in organic forms can be seen in the final products. Instead of following the colors of these organic forms, they brightened up the pieces with varied color use and use of gradient.