Nery Oxman and her group Mediated Matter at MIT have expanded their trilogy of death masks created using 3D printing. A project that cultivates a new life after death.
Related: 10 future technologies from MIT
Oksman seeks to spark a discussion about the transition between life and death. Masks are a way of saying for Neri Oksman.
The Vespers collection is the last part of the trilogy and consists of five almost colorless masks that function as “biological urns”. Urns are populated with microorganisms that are synthetically designed by the Oksman team to produce pigments and / or useful chemicals for human sustenance, such as vitamins, antibodies, and antimicrobials.
Each part of the trilogy consists of five masks that explore the past, present and future. The combined 15 masks represent the transition from death to life or from life to death.
The team said that the study leads to the future, when the interfaces will be configured not only to fit a particular form, but also to a specific material, chemical and even genetic makeup of the user, to adapt to body wear and the environment.
Israeli-American architect Nery Oksman calls himself the founder of materialecology, an interdisciplinary initiative that expands the boundaries of materials science. Oxman is actively exploring the possibilities of design at the junction of biology and high technology, digital morphogenesis and the potential of biopolymers.
Objects are made using the Stratasys Objet500 Connex3 3D printer, which creates three-dimensional shapes by depositing layers of polymer droplets.