Can we build the future by editing nature rather than consuming it?
In short: Designer Neri Oxman rejects the assembly line in favor of 'material ecology.' By merging 3D printing with synthetic biology, her work moves beyond mere construction, using living organisms like silkworms and bees to grow structures that bridge the gap between engineering and the natural world.
At the heart of Neri Oxman's practice is the concept of material ecology, a philosophy she began developing as a graduate student at MIT in 2006. Rather than viewing nature as a geological resource to be extracted, Oxman proposes 'editing' it as a biological one. Her work seeks to replace traditional assembly with growth, creating objects characterized by multi-function and property gradients that harmonize humanity with the environment. This vision of holistic, multi-functional products stands in direct opposition to a world constructed from discrete, assembled parts. Her research interests even extend to designing building skins that can naturally tan in the sun to provide shade.
This approach has led to groundbreaking, interdisciplinary fabrication methods. In the Silk Pavilion, 6,500 silkworms were used to weave a nylon-frame dome, a process that required precise engineering to manage temperature and light. Similarly, the Aguahoja project utilized a water-based platform to print structures from chitosan, an organic fiber. These projects demonstrate a shift toward 'antidisciplinary' science, where the outputs of biology, computing, and materials engineering serve as inputs for one another. Her laboratory, the Mediated Matter group, also pioneered the G3DP platform, which was the first 3D printer capable of producing optically transparent glass. Beyond silk and chitosan, her team has explored using melanin extracted from various species to create 3/D-printed structures.
However, Oxman's career has not been without significant controversy. In 2023, allegations emerged regarding plagiarism in her 2010 PhD dissertation and several journal articles, involving passages from Wikipedia and Wolfram MathWorld; Oxman described these as 'citation errors.' Additionally, reports surfaced regarding her lab's receipt of $125,000 from Jeffrey Epstein, a fact Oxman acknowledged while noting that the lab was not sponsored by him. The controversy regarding Epstein's donations surfaced alongside an MIT report detailing meetings between Oxman and the financier in 2015. These allegations of academic misconduct emerged shortly after her husband, Bill Ackman, publicly criticized the presidency of Harvard.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Neri Oxman
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