‘Neri Oxman: Material Ecology’, named after the term she coined to describe her approach of fusing organic design, material science and digital fabrication technology to produce new techniques and objects informed by nature, the exhibition highlights seven research projects that Oxman has created along with the Mediated Matter Group, which she founded and directs at MIT, to propose a new biotech future that is truly within our grasp.
‘Ecology is the science that defines relationships between organisms and other organisms, and/or organisms and the natural environment,’ Oxman explains. ‘Material ecology basically aims to place materials; things that are artificially made i.e, designed, in the context of natural ecology. And the hope is that in the future, we will design with natural ecology in mind, such that all things will relate, adapt, respond to the natural ecology. The vision, of course, is that in the future, one will not be able to differentiate or separate between the natural and the artificial, for good and for bad.’
Oxman adds, ‘We are now at a very exciting moment where we can design nature herself. So with the appearance of tools, techniques and technologies associated with synthetic biology, we can basically re-envision, reimagine, augment, make better, heal the environment and nature as we know it. Where does design stand in this crossroads and what are the technological and ethical implications of this? I think my team and I stand in that crossroad physically, but also mentally challenging some of the questions that design and designers face at that intersection between biology and technology, nature and culture, and the melding and fusing of the two.’
Oxman adds, ‘We are now at a very exciting moment where we can design nature herself. So with the appearance of tools, techniques and technologies associated with synthetic biology, we can basically re-envision, reimagine, augment, make better, heal the environment and nature as we know it. Where does design stand in this crossroads and what are the technological and ethical implications of this? I think my team and I stand in that crossroad physically, but also mentally challenging some of the questions that design and designers face at that intersection between biology and technology, nature and culture, and the melding and fusing of the two.’
The seven projects on display, which date from 2007 to the present, showcase several examples of Oxman’s line of inquiry. Inspired by the observations of sources such as the configurations of bark on birch trees, the characteristics of crustacean shells, and even the nature of melanin, each project makes a compelling case for the future of building and design on its own, but even more so when the viewer can envision them overlapping with each other.
From tree bark and crustaceans’ shells to silkworms and human breath, nature has influenced Neri Oxman’s design and production processes, just as it has influenced architects across centuries. Unlike her predecessors, however, throughout her 20-year career Oxman has developed not only new ways of thinking about materials, objects, buildings, and construction processes, but also new frameworks for interdisciplinary—and even interspecies—collaborations.
As a professor of media arts and sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, she founded and directs the Mediated Matter Group. She coined the term “material ecology” to describe techniques and objects that are informed by and directly engage with the structures, systems, and aesthetics of nature. Integrating advanced 3-D printing techniques with in-depth research of natural phenomena and behaviors, material ecology operates at the intersection of biology, engineering, materials science, and computer science. While individually these works are beautiful and revolutionary, taken as a group they constitute a new philosophy of designing, making—and even unmaking—the world around us.
The seven projects in this exhibition are “demos” for a library of materials and processes that might someday be available to all architects and designers. The objects and structures are all designed as if grown—with no assembly required. Together, they celebrate a new age in which biology, architecture, engineering, and design join forces to build the future.
As a professor of media arts and sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, she founded and directs the Mediated Matter Group. She coined the term “material ecology” to describe techniques and objects that are informed by and directly engage with the structures, systems, and aesthetics of nature. Integrating advanced 3-D printing techniques with in-depth research of natural phenomena and behaviors, material ecology operates at the intersection of biology, engineering, materials science, and computer science. While individually these works are beautiful and revolutionary, taken as a group they constitute a new philosophy of designing, making—and even unmaking—the world around us.
The seven projects in this exhibition are “demos” for a library of materials and processes that might someday be available to all architects and designers. The objects and structures are all designed as if grown—with no assembly required. Together, they celebrate a new age in which biology, architecture, engineering, and design join forces to build the future.
Statement MoMA
