Making the World Differently 1

Making the World Differently

2014  Claire Fayolle, Beaux Arts Magazine , July 14 issue

Neri Oxman: Making the world differently

In the legend of Gemini Alpha: Neri Oxman in collaboration with Prof. W. Craig Carter (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT) The exposure Vocal Vibrations Laboratory in Paris is an opportunity to discover a new realization of the architect Neri Oxman. Associate professor at the MIT Media Lab, she develops an approach to design and architecture "techno-organic" inspired by nature and biology. Strange object made ​​a wooden shell whose surface evokes a cluster of cells the lounger Neri Oxman for Laboratory could get out of a science fiction film. This is actually the result of a very serious search for "an environment that stimulates the sensory and contemplative experience" as part of an exhibition dedicated to the voice and its vibrations. Organic skin Gemini Alpha is designed to absorb sound and provide a soothing environment. Made by 3D printing thanks to the expertise of Stratasys, a company that has grown by the technology to its limits, it consists of no less than 44 different materials. These are produced simultaneously from three acrylic resins - yellow, magenta and transparent. Color, transparency and hardness vary with respect to their acoustic function. A second part, Gemini Beta, which complement the seat to provide a cocoon to human body, is in process. It will be revealed in October at the opening of a second Laboratory in Cambridge in the United States. The Israeli architect Neri Oxman, whose work has been exhibited in France at the Centre Georges Pompidou with "Imaginary Beings: Mythologies not yet" (1) then Archilab 2013 (2), explores digital technologies and how those This could revolutionize the way we design and build our world. It was in London in the late 90s, during his studies at the Architectural Association and its professional debut at Koh Pedersen Fox Associates, it approaches the so-called parametric design. "In this context, the architect is not the creator of an object, it becomes the designer of a process, tool, says Neri Oxman. It develops a program that, according to the prescribed properties, generate many variations - those of the skin of a building for example. I realized that we were about to start a new era of design. It was very exciting. " Continuing his research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has developed a focus on the material she calls "Material Ecology" ("Material Ecology") approach. These principles are applied in the Mediated Matter group she founded at MIT. The purpose of his experiments is to "improve the relationship between the built and natural environments using design principles inspired by nature. They are implemented through the invention of new digital technologies. "The most recent, Silk Pavilion (" The Pavilion of silk ") project is a dome of silk fibers woven by a robotic arm: 6500 silkworms come complete structure. Exploring the relationship between digital and organic production, this creation is exploring ways to overcome the current weaknesses of 3D printing (non-structural material, size limitation, slow) across the architecture. This is a further step towards this vision of the future, according to Neri Oxman, where "we will be able to print objects that adapt to their users, their environment and even develop themselves in over time. "

Vocal Vibrations Laboratory Paris, until 29 September 2014 and Laboratory Cambridge from October 30, 2014

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