LookingOutwards-03

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Floraform by Nervous System (2014) first caught my attention because of its aesthetics and practical application in beautiful flower-inspired jewelry, sculptures, and animations. Reading more into it, I became even more inspired knowing that the generative jewelry pieces were based on extensive scientific research into the way flowers grow and the differential system. The designers took into consideration the effects of physics, environmental factors, collision detection, growth patterns, and more. At first, I was skeptical at anyone’s ability to replicate nature, as I’ve grown to understand that anything “natural” is imperfect, but the thoroughness of the project site and the practical, commercial outcome made me appreciate the initiative and its respect to reality.

Although a ton of scientific research went into creating the final products of Floraform, a lot of artistic license were taken in the way the floral system is represented visually and made into pieces of art. Nervous System creates their own software system to visualize their creations, but I can assume that it resembles a 3-D modeling software but with the capabilities of incorporating custom algorithms in accordance to the different natural considerations they made.

One of their considerations when simulating flower growth: edge.

LO: Computational Fabrication

In exploring computational digital fabrication, I began my search with a simple Google of “algorithm based physical sculptures.” I came across one link that talked about MoSculp, an algorithmic system created out of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2018.

Mosculp is a computer system that, when fed a 2D video of human movement, can create a 3D-printed sculpture conveying the arcs and curves created through the body’s movements. This is possible through the algorithm’s ability to estimate and detect key points of human body movements that transform the video of 2D frames into a 3D-aware rendering of the (human) subject’s 3D geometry.

Watch to see how MoSculp sculpts!

The pieces created by MoSculp now may simply seem like abstract sculptures without much purpose, but the potential of the technology is clear. Researchers have noted the possible implications of technology like MoSculp; can this improve the ability for athletes and dancers (amongst other careers) to find a new way to micro-analyze the nuances of techniques by studying these motion-capture images? How about using these sculptures as toys and tools for physical rehabilitation?

I found this project to be interesting as it begins an important discussion about the necessity of the visual arts and the ability for people to utilize these computer generated softwares to create real and effective solutions to everyday problems.

Looking Outwards 03 – Computational Fabrication

The Heydar Aliyev Center is a cultural center that is located in Baku, Azerbaijan, and was designed by architect Zaha Hadid. When taking one look at this building, it is a breath-taking design. One can say that this project is an incredible achievement. The most difficult and critical part of this project was probably the architectural development of the skin/shell. However, with the use of advanced computations, it allowed the project to achieve its fluid characteristics. The geometry, structure, and materiality of this building create a harmony that allows us to see the transformation that architecture has gone through as well as being able to see the advancement of technology. Through computing, sketching, and physical modeling, Zaha Hadid and her team were able to create something that was unique and was able to look at the future. Through the interior and exterior of the building, Zaha Hadid wanted to create this blur between urban and architecture.

This project is called Find(&)MERGE made by SVEN, a group from the University of Bologna, Italy. The aim of this project is to design a place that represents an economic and cultural center. What I admire about it is that it attempts to computationally input the different behaviors and environmental elements into the construction of the project. The system created is supposed to grow and evolve depending on the self-organized interactions that affect the place. I think that it is important for architects to be able to take into consideration the ever-changing environments and behaviors and create architecture that can adapt that over long periods of time. This project recognizes this need in architectural design and is using computational fabrication to achieve the design.

http://www.evolo.us/developing-a-coherent-strategy-for-innovative-design-through-digital-fabrication/

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What was really special about the piece, Astrocyte, made in 2017 was the simple fact that it was 3D printed. It brings back memories of when I was in high school and decided to do a 3D printed project for my IB Math Project. This was the first time I used a 3D printer and it was exhilarating. What is inspirational about this piece specifically is how pretty it looks. It reminds me of the Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG), where I spent a good amount of my childhood back. I would love to go see this display, and feel like I could sit there for hours and reminisce. 3D printing has become much more common than it was when I first used, it and it is really neat to see how it is growing. I imagine it took a lot of moving pieces to put this together. They had many people in various teams, such as technology, design, and research help create this project. The coolest part, is the technique used, one I have mentioned in one of my earlier inspirations, which is the combination of light changing according to movement, and sounds and vibrations playing a role in that as well.

Astrocyte

LookingOutwards-03

In 2019, Ying Gao, a conceptual fashion designer and media professor, released a robotic clothing collection that can reacted to its surroundings. The collection, entitled “flowing water, standing time”, response to the essence of movement by rippling, expanding and contracting as if they are live creatures. Her project questions traditional assumptions about clothing by combining robotics and fine fabrics to create performative pieces that transform their physical contour. The color and light sensors embedded in the fabric, with a tiny camera linked to a raspberry PI computer, are used to gather information about their surrounding. Data are sent to a series of actuators and magnets that is interlaced with the fabric to create movement. The clothes have a fluid and chameleon-like appearance, embodying the complexity and rhythm of the ever-changing surrounding.

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An artist who utilizes computational fabrication is Taekyeom Lee(@taekyeom). When I first started following his work, he primarily focused on 3D printing ceramics. Although that has stayed as a consistent feature of his projects, he has also ventured into working with using robots to draw intricate letterforms, printing letterforms through ceramics, and mixing in generative design. Most recently, he has printed miniature versions of his ceramics pieces to print molds for casting little soaps.

My personal favorite of his projects has been an ongoing series of printed ceramics that have evolved into many different mediums of print materials. I found great aesthetic appeal in the forms of his printed ceramics, which often focus on radial symmetry and takes inspiration from nature. He also had very interesting pieces that focus on the internal structure of the print; from the outside, it’s an unassuming form, but when you look inside, the form holds intricate twisting tunnels. I think that in creating the pieces, there is an element of letting the program make decisions and leaving complete control of how the forms come out in the hands of the printer and chance–many of his projects have collapsed while wet, rendering the print failed.

internal shot of corn using translucent filament

LO 3 – Computational Fabrication

The project I am looking at is Meshu, a company that uses computational fabrication to create and sell products. They make jewelry that connects locations to make a pendant out of various shapes. I think this project is a unique way of connecting people to locations, that is more than a map. I am not sure what algorithms are used, but it seems like they are just connecting “points” which represent cities on a map. Since the purpose of this project is to create pieces of art for other people, there is not a lot of room for the artist to add their own artistic sensibilities.

Link: https://meshu.io/

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.

Some of the masks generated for the Vespers project by MIT’s Mediated Matter research group (2016).

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.

This video documents a mask in the third series of the Vespers project which contains pigment-producing microorganisms.

LO 3 – Computational Fabrication

The Silk Pavilion is an incredible sculpture that combines the biological and technological world together. The silkworm’s ability to generate 3D cocoons out of silk and the digital fabrication of geometric architectural shapes were seamlessly blended to create a sturdy, yet light structure. MIT Media Lab started with a CNC machine that created an underlying structure that will hold each section of the silk and ultimately guide the silkworms.The group believes in the power of a single material as a system to enable strength and tension. There is an intersection between technology and biology which digital fabrication technologies can explore. In this case, the silkworms build and destroy parts of the nest for it to become a stronger material. They used computational techniques to model the natural processes of growth. This theme is allowing growth to happen naturally as seen in their computational design, by allowing the machine to determine which patterns would be most durable.