Silk Pavilion
The silk Pavilion is a structure built by silkworms over a human-made template that gives it the desired shape. Neri Oxman and her team observed how the worms construct these complicated structures to make cocoons to be able to metamorphose so they decided to use this process to create a 3d shape.
They used a robot that created a base for the structure that would determine the shape and then they introduced silkworms to complete the gaps and ultimately create the wanted structure. This process can be used to build silk structures that are already 3d so the silkworms are not killed in the process. It’s very innovative to adopt a natural process in this way that doesn’t damage the worms in the process, just like she said on the ted talk: it’s about co-creation but also co-habitation between live beings.
Aguahoja
This project attempts to challenge the modern world view of design as assembled parts that form a total. She creates structures made from one single unified material that can adopt a shape naturally. It can act like plastic and incorporate different bacteria to modify its function.
Oxman and her team used a mechanical arm that deposits different concentrations of Chitin, a natural biopolymer produced by shrimp, crabs, butterflies, and scorpions, to make a solid structure with flexible parts. They altered the composition of the biopolymer to make it fit their needs and built structures that are completely sustainable and that help the environment.
Reflection
I loved Nori Oxman’s exhibition and the Ted Talk, It’s so interesting how she can adopt biological processes and materials, alter them to do what she needs them to do and create a completely new way of making things. The use of sustainable and innovative materials like these ones is what we need to start doing in the design world to reduce the amount of plastic and waste.
I come from a science high school so I’ve always loved biology, and after going to Med School I have really wanted to incorporate science into the design world but I didn’t know if it was possible. Knowing about Oxman and her team was such an inspiring discovery and it really motivated me to do more research about it and start looking more into the subject.
