01- Looking Outwards

Post date: Sep 14, 2016 4:6:54 AM

Environmental Sensor / Information Visualization Based on Natural Data

• An exploration of the relationship between digital and biological fabrication on product and architectural scales, The Silk Pavilion, (here and here) by Mediated Matter Group in collaboration with MIT Media Lab and others, examines the silkworm’s ability to “compute” material organization based on external performance criteria. The group specifically “... explored the formation of non-woven fiber structures generated by the silkworms as a computational approach for determining shape and material optimization of fiber-based surface structures.” The primary structure used silk threads laid by a CNC machine to create 26 polygonal panels based on an algorithm inspired by the silkworm’s ability to generate a 3D cocoon out of a single multi-property silk thread. 6,500 silkworms were placed within the configuration. The worms sensed the gaps in material created by the CNC machine, and acted as a biological “printer” by reinforcing these areas with their own non-woven flat patches. In addition to sensing gaps in the machine-laid silk, research showed that “Affected by spatial and environmental conditions including geometrical density as well as variation in natural light and heat, the silkworms were found to migrate to darker and denser areas. Desired light effects informed variations in material organization across the surface area of the structure.”

• Developed by a collective of researchers at MIT, Mapdwell Solar System is an online rooftop solar capacity sensor that uses technology licensed exclusively to the team to reveal communities’ underutilized solar resources and solar energy potential. Solar System is intended to provide a solution to the fossil fuel dilemma “By transforming accurate, open, and unbiased information into education and action.” In mapping out the solar potential of buildings, Mapdwell also helps property owners assess the financial practicality of committing to solar energy.

Environmental Sensor / Ecologically Engaged Art

• In an example of gene dominance and selective genetic mutation to optimize a natural attraction, David Namhon Kim utilized butterflies’ attraction to light in his piece “And He Saw the Wings on the Waves.” Kim realized butterflies’ attraction to light is based on genes and that he could breed them so this gene is dominant. In a thirty-foot long tunnel of organza hung in a dark hallway, 150 butterflies hatched over three weeks. Upon hatching they sensed the light at the end of the fabric tunnel and were compelled by their biology to fly towards its source.  

Ecologically Engaged Art

• Addressing the unsustainable consumption that has become traditional in the furniture (and overall consumer product) industry, TERRA! is a cardboard frame that interacts with the environment and fosters the growth of your own (grass) armchair. An object intended for physical use, TERRA! may fall under ecologically engaged “design” as opposed to “art.”

Narrative Communication / Information Visualization Based on Natural Data

• While he does commercial work, Ekene Ijeoma is known for his socially conscious and thought provoking data visualization and interactive platforms. Using big data to tell cohesive stories, The Refugee Project, created in collaboration with social impact design agency Hyperakt, provides those of us who feel numb to the numbers, thrown around by mass media, a way to grasp the human reality of the refugee crisis. As the years climb from 1975 to 2015, new circles pop up and pulsate, growing as time goes on. The map illuminates patterns of emigration and the context of displacement. Stories of historic turmoil accompany the visual data, allowing the number 35 million to feel a bit more personal. The map gives visual representation to an issue that, for some, feels so intangible. The Refugee Project was featured in MoMA's Design and Violence exhibition, the Design Museum (London) Designs of the Year 2015 exhibition, the Mapmaker Manifesto installation at the 2014 Istanbul Design Biennial and earned a Gold Medal for Interactive at the 2014 Information is Beautiful Awards and a Silver Medal at the prestigious Malofiej 22 Infographic Awards. (PS for more designs addressing the refugee crisis, check out my article on Core77.)

• With so many already on the market, you're probably wondering, do we really need another food app? The simple answer is yes. Most food apps available are marketed in a way that encourages dieting and weight loss over consumer education. To understand the complex processes of industrially manufacturing food, and the effects these foods have on our bodies and the environment, we need more than a meal tracker or digital database of FDA labels. That's where Sage Project comes in. By using colorful graphics and food characters, the app makes food research surprisingly entertaining and enjoyable. “The food we buy matters. As our food systems become increasingly complex, the food we choose to consume affects not only our own health, but also the environment, our ethical framework, the Earth's biodiversity, and so much more." Through engaging graphics accompanying data, Sage spins an educational narrative of our industrial food processes. "For food, as science progresses rapidly, consumers are often left behind because it's an impossible deluge of research to keep up with," says creator Sam Slover "We want to provide meaning and personal context." With personalized profiles and comprehensive graphics, Sage Project definitely gives context to the data in a way that other nutrition apps just don't. By providing dry information to consumers in a way that makes the numbers fun and visually engaging, Sage hopes to build customer loyalty and defy the trend of failed food app/user relationships.