Nature has often served as an inspiration for human development: let's think for example at how biomimicry, a science founded on observing systems and models that exist in nature and on employing them to provide solutions to human issues, has become an inspiration in more recent years for many architects and fashion designers as well.
The "Brave New World: Re-thinking Design in the New Age of Technology" display at the pop-up showroom of Spanish design group Nagami in Milan's Brera Design District (Spazio Theca, Piazza Castello, 5; until 22nd April) features four chairs, created by famous architects and designers, and based on the principles of biomimicry, but manufactured employing technologically advanced 3D printing processes.
Zaha Hadid Architects's Patrick Schumacher and Sebastian Anda recombined the shapes of the 3D printed sculpture entitled "Thallus" that the studio displayed at Milan Design Week last year and the metallic "Arum" installation from the 13th Venice Biennale, coming up with two new pieces - "Bow" and "Rise".
Both the chairs vaguely resemble two blooming flowers: their shape is particularly intriguing, but so is their innovative texture and visually striking colour grandient.
The pieces were printed with a pellet-extruder employing raw plastic particles rather than a filament. The plastic of choice for this project was PLA, a non-toxic, biodegradable material from renewable sources such as corn-starch.
The natural and artificial dichotomy continues in Ross Lovegrove's "Robotica TM", a combination of botany and robotics that resulted in a high stool with a 360° access.
Based on rotational geometry, the piece can be used as a chair, as a table for placing food or a versatile plinth for a sculpture, a TV set or a computer.
Daniel Widrig left the natural and botanical element behind but refocused on the ergonomics of humans and robotic arms in his undulating "Peeler" chair.
The latter was conceived to overcome the limits of additive manufacturing: the design is 3D printed in single 7mm thick shells of PLA and TPA by an industrial robot in just a few hours, this means that only a small amount of machine time was used, that resulted in a minimum waste of material.
Nagami founders Ignacio Viguera Ochoa, and Manuel and Miki Jimenez García hope that the pieces will provide a 3D printed glimpse of tomorrow's designs and to support their vision they also organised a series of lectures with the designers involved in this project and with further artists and engineers, that have been running daily for a week (today's lectures will feature Isaie Bloch and Arturo Tedeschi; tomorrow Sebastian Andia will be on).
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