Margot Gersing – Looking Outwards -09

I decided to look at Julia Nishizaki’s post on the Vespers. Theses are 3D-printed ‘death masks’ by Neri Oxman and her Mediated Matter Group at MIT. These are modern interpretations of traditional death masks using cutting edge materials, processes and visuals. Part of the reason why I decided to write on this post in particular was because I had never heard of a death mask before. After reading about this a death mask is a traditional mask that was supposed to capture the wearer’s last breath.

At MIT, Oxman, has interpreted this as a representation of the past present and future. My favorite part about these mask is the part representing the future synthetically engineered microorganisms to produce specific pigments or chemicals and are specific to the individual’s genetic makeup. It is so cool how they utilize living organisms within the artificial mask and they work together to create one cohesive piece.

Julia mentions the possibilities of this being a step towards wearable technology and interfaces and I thought this was a really interesting point. I like the idea that these technologies in the future might use microorganisms as part of the piece.