Vespers, Series 3, Mask 2 was designed and created by Neri Oxman and her Mediated Matter Group at MIT. There are 15 masks divided into 3 series and each series has 5 masks (3dprintersonlinestore.com, 2019). The image above is one of the series III called: Future (Morris, 2019), The Biological World which is exhibited at The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) International. ‘She designed Vespers to reveal “cultural heritage and speculate about the perpetuation of life, both cultural and biological (Buzzworthy, 2019).”’
More specifically, in a long time ago from gold mask of Tutankhamun to plaster death mask of the 19th century, People are creating death masks of their era and culture all over the world, In this way, people want to use death masks to preserve the memory of the dead and immortalize them. However, Neri Oxman’s death mask is intended to take advantage of modern technology to explore and represent the transition between life and death. “the masks are designed and built using 3D printing and spatial mapping algorithms, aiming to explore the transition between life and death in a modern, technologically focused light (Buzzworthy, 2019).” She seems to want to challenge other industrial design products and even architectures in a way that can only be born in the new era. What’s more, Vespers also brings to us a question that what if instead of being the final designer or the decider in the design process, we participate in the design as a guide and facilitator and let nature decide the design? In other words, since the industrial revolution, design has been restricted by the rigid standards of manufacturing and mass production, which limited greatly the imagination of designers. As a result, this keeps our design embedded in the environment as an industrial product. Oxman wants to create a new perspective to look at design. What is not only integrate nature into our design, but also guide nature to design something even beyond human imagination and combined nature with new era technology, a design that advocates the growth of nature in the products. Trying to make the world become a Better place. Like Liene Jakobsone said in the article:
“it is critically concerned with future and design’s potential in shaping it towards the preferable; and it is aware of the ideological constraints that limit the society and impede its progress (Jakobsone, 2017).”
What’s more, as the above image shown, the whole mask is 3d printed with a dark airflow-like shape inside and a series of pale blue-green rings in the middle. These colorful swirls are actually meant to represent the airflow created by the last breath of a dying person. To get this shape, designers use extremely sophisticated software to design and simulate it, which is then printed by 3d printing.
It is worth mentioning that each series has its own unique meaning. The three pictures above, from left to right, are series 1 “Past”, series 2 “Present” and series 3 “Future” (Morris, 2019). As can be seen from the figure, the shape of series 1 is more irregular than that of other series. Series 1 seems to express the moment when the “last breath” just exhales from the mouth. In the second series, the shape of the mask part begins to stabilize, some parts are still in the process of transformation and the top part begins to form the shape of the mask. By the third series, the whole mask had been reborn into a complete and stable shape.
The interesting point is that the third series compared with other series looks contains fewer cultural expression and less color, but this series is the three series of one of the most vivid series, because the last series Oxman by guiding alive microbes to part of the design, with color part of the image is actually made by boot after through the complex process of microbes formed after color. This design really creates a living work designed by nature. The Vespers realizes the product moving away from assembly closer to growth. Let the indispensable part of “growth” in life be combined with modern science and technology, let nature grow in products and let nature design products. We only guide and assist through modern science and technology. In addition, Neri Oxmans ‘design actually is very different from an ordinary industrial product. Not as a commodity or industrial product, but like the critical design to bring thinking to the public. Liene Jakobsone mentioned in the article:
‘Critical design indeed does not produce functional, industrially manufactured things Instead it creates non-functioning prototypes that are not meant for production at all, and due to these peculiar circumstances, it is often not regarded as a legitimate practice within the field of industrial design. Thisnonetheless does not mean that critical design lacks functionality at all, but its “function moves beyond physical and technical function, optimization, efficiency, and utility (Jakobsone, 2017)”’
The questions which Vespers are brought, such as Is our industrial product really a good design for our society and the natural environment? Is it possible that nature’s design will bring our society closer to nature? Will natural design make our society more harmonious and happier? These questions will certainly be conveyed to the minds of more and more designers to some extent, and then the concept of design by natural will quietly “grow” in their hearts.
REFERENCE
- 3dprintersonlinestore.com. (2019). Neri Oxman Introduced the Collection of ‘Death Masks’. [online] Available at: https://www.3dprintersonlinestore.com/neri-oxman-introduced-the-collection-of-death-masks [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].
- Buzzworthy. (2019). MIT’s Version of Ancient Death Masks Are Like Something From a Sci-Fi Movie. [online] Available at: https://www.buzzworthy.com/mit-neri-oxman-death-masks/ [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].
- Morris, A. (2019). Neri Oxman’s new death masks contain
pigment-producing microorganisms. [online] Dezeen. Available at:
Neri Oxman’s new death masks contain pigment-producing microorganisms
[Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].
- Jakobsone, L. (2017). Critical design as approach to next thinking. The Design Journal, 20(sup1), pp.S4253-S4262.
Design Research 
I really like the idea ‘let nature grow in products and let nature design products’ from your article. At the beginning, I felt that the death mask series are quite mysterious, then I understood the meaning behind the masks through your article. The designer created a connection between life and death in masks, which not only integrate nature into design but also remind people of the importance of nature.
To consider about the questions at the last paragraph, in my opinion, different designs have different meanings. All of them are necessary for the world no matter industrial designs or natural designs. The industrial product is designed more for mass production according to the social environment. It focuses on the functionality and practicability. It doesn’t mean that natural design should be ignored by people. There are many artists who help more people realize the significance of nature through their designs like Neri Oxman. Also, I mentioned the importance of natural things such as natural materials in my first blog. I think nature is a crucial part of design and I totally agree with you.
In addition, I quite agree with the idea about the combination of nature and modern technology. The Neri Oxman’s death mask design process includes the modern technology such as 3D printing, which emphasize both nature and technology.
However, I think some natural designs have limitations to attract people’s attention. When I saw the death masks for the first time, I didn’t know what was it and how did it create as it was so abstract. It is different from most industrial products that the aim or meaning of them is straightforward. I think that is a problem we should think about as a designer.
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