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New Zealand-based designer Mark Wilson created the eerie-looking, but very shy synthetic organism Chromatose. Unusual creation was made possible thanks to 3D printing technology.
As high technology develops, the line between science and art is blurred. The hero of our story, 25-year-old designer Mark Wilson from Wellington, is trying to look at genetics through the eyes of the artist, but not so much for the sake of art, but for practical use.
“The whole world is watching the rapid progress of digital technology, giving us unprecedented opportunities. I'm interested in the effective application of new technologies in order to reveal their unique capabilities. This applies not only to iron, production and finished goods, but also to software, organization, and systems, and most importantly - the potential of all components in various combinations, ”says Wilson.
Chromatose is just an art project without practical application, but demonstrating the capabilities of advanced additive technologies. Having designed the model in Rhino 5.0 and Grasshopper, Mark made a “living flower” on the Objet 350 Connex3 3D printer from materials of different stiffness and color. The structure of the “organism”, printed with a resolution of 16 microns, determines its motor properties.
“Each petal opens with integrated miniature pneumatics. The effort is enough just enough to keep the petals open - only just out of balance. This means that the slightest touch will cause the petals to curl, ”explains Wilson. “Chromatose is the result of one of my research on using machine code to generate structures similar to living organisms. This is a demonstration of the capabilities of modern 3D printers without the need to grow real living cells. This is a series of synthetic organisms that have common “genetic properties” that are exposed to external influences and mutations by analogy with our DNA. ”
