SYNOPSISVespers is a collection of masks
exploring what it means to design
(with) life. From the relic of the
death mask to a contemporary living
device, the collection embarks on
a journey that begins with an
ancient typology and culminates
with a novel technology for the
design and digital fabrication of
adaptive and responsive interfaces.
We begin with a conceptual piece
and end with a tangible set of
tools, techniques and technologies
combining programmable matter
and programmable life.DESCRIPTIONThe project points towards an
imminent future where wearable
interfaces and building skins
are customised not only to fit a
particular shape, but also a specific
material, chemical and even genetic
make-up, tailoring the wearable
to both the body and the environment
which it inhabits. Imagine, for
example, a wearable interface
d e s i g n e d t o g u i d e a d - h o c a n t i b i o t i c
formation customised to fit the
genetic make-up of its user; or
consider smart packaging or surface
coating devices that can detect
contamination. Finally, consider
environmentally responsive
architectural skins that can
respond to, and adapt – in real
time – to environmental cues.Created as part of The New Ancient
Collection for Stratasys, the
Vespers project comprises three
series. The first features the death
mask as a cultural artifact, while
the final series features a living
mask as an enabling technology.
The second series mediates between
the two, marking the process of
‘metamorphosis’ between the ancient
relic and its modern interpretation.The living masks in the final series
embody habitats that guide,
inform and ‘template’ gene
expression of microorganisms. Such
l i v i n g m i c r o o r g a n i s m s h a v e b e e n
synthetically engineered to
p r o d u c e p i g m e n t s o r u s e f u l c h e m i c a l
substances such as vitamins,
antibodies or antimicrobial drugs.
Combined, the three series of the
Vespers’ collection represent
the transition from death to life,
or from life to death, depending on
one’s reading of the collection.Novel technologies are enabling
d e s i g n a n d p r o d u c t i o n a t N a t u r e’s
scale. We can seamlessly vary the
physical properties of materials at
the resolution of a blood cell.
Stiffness, colour, transparency,
conductivity, even smell and taste,
can be individually tuned for each
3D pixel within a physical object.
Products can now be computationally
‘grown’ and 3D-printed to form
materially heterogeneous and
multifunctional products.The Vespers masks are artifacts that
unite information architectures
and manufacturing practices to grow
rather than assemble. Unlike
traditional death masks, which were
made of a single material such
as wax or plaster and used to capture
a person’s face, the Vespers masks
are not intended to memorialise
the dead. They are designed to reveal
cultural heritage and speculate
upon the perpetuation of life, both
cultural and biological. They
are entirely data driven, digitally
generated, additively manufactured,
and – at times – biologically
augmented. By pushing the boundaries
of cusp technologies – such as
high-resolution material modelling,
multimaterial 3D-printing, and
synthetic biology – they express
the death mask’s deeper meanings
and possible future utility, thus
b r i n g i n g i t b a c k t o l i f e.CREDITSResearch and design by The Mediated
Matter Group at the MIT Media Lab
in collaboration with Stratasys for
The New Ancient Collection.
Mediated Matter researchers
include Christoph Bader, Dominik
Kolb, James Weaver, Rachel Smith,
Sunanda Sharma, João Costa and
group director Neri OxmanVESPERS
2016–2018
Matter
Bio-augmented photopolymersMedia
H y b r i d l i v i n g m a t e r i a l s ( H L M s) &
data-driven material modelling (DdMM)Organism
E. coliL e f t , V e s p e r s, M a s k I, S e r i e s I I,
a s s e e n f r o m d i ff e r e n t a n g l e sPhotography: Yoram Reshef. Courtesy
of Neri Oxman and The Mediated
Matter Group, MIT Media Lab∑ 317