Feb.1, 2014
Neri Oxman, a designer, architect, artist and head of the MIT Media Lab's Mediated Matter research group has been named the 2014 recipient of the Vilcek Prize in Design. Oxman resides in Boston, where she is the Sony Corporation Career Development professor and assistant professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab. She is the founder and director of the Mediated Matter design research group.
Neri Oxman was raised in Israel and relocated to the United States in 2005. Acknowledged for coining the phrase "material ecology" to define her work, Oxman is often referred to as the leader of the biological revolution in design.
Through her work, she challenges traditional design principles across architecture, product design, and fashion by juxtaposing material properties and environmental constraints to generate breathtaking new forms. Her designs are created using modern technologies, such as 3D printing, but are inspired by elements of nature.
"In the future we will print 3D bone tissue, grow living breathing chairs and construct buildings by hatching swarms of tiny robots. The future is closer than we think; in fact, versions of it are already present in our midst." said Oxman.
Oxman is reimagining construction with the use of 3D printers. How can additive fabrication technologies be scaled to building-sized construction? Oxman and her group introduce a novel method of mobile swarm printing that allows small robotic agents to construct large structures. The robotic agents extrude a fast curing material which doubles as both a concrete mold for structural walls and as a thermal insulation layer. This technique offers many benefits over traditional construction methods, such as speed, custom geometry, and cost. As well, direct integration of building utilities like wiring and plumbing can be incorporated into the printing process.
Images credit: Mediated Matter design research group
In this video below Oxman discusses how MIT's Media Lab experiments with different printable materials – everything from concrete to silk – to build all sorts of structures. She's also repurposed a robotic arm into a 3-D printer.
Her work has been displayed worldwide, including shows at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
In the interview part 2 below, Neri Oxman introduces Imaginary Beings: Mythologies of the Not Yet, 18 3D printed designs presented at the Centre Pompidou. These presented pieces push the boundaries of 3D printing technologies.
The Vilcek Prizes are awarded to foreign-born individuals in the United States who have demonstrated exceptional achievements early in their careers.
The $100,000 prize will be presented to Oxman in New York City in April.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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Neri Oxman, you know that I know, this is all crazy. @styrohome
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