Looking Outwards 03: Computational Fabrication

The Vespers project is a fascinating ongoing enterprise by the Mediated Matter research group in the Media Lab at MIT. This project, inspired by the concept of the “death mask” of old, serves to memorialize the dead; here, the makers integrate many disciplines to re-engineer complex forms and symbols through each series of masks, using computational modeling techniques to physically represent culturally and philosophically relevant questions.

For instance, the second series of masks serves to negotiate the divide between life and death. They take cues from natural phenomena and forms and, using data and environmentally responsive materials, are able to digitally model and fabricate each mask. The makers use spatial mapping algorithms to encode the specific colors, geometry, and form of each mask. I find these works interesting as they are not only aesthetically impressive but serve as a model of how we might computationally “grow” and design organic tissues and prosthetics to meet specific individual needs.