Jessica Rosenkrants works at the Design Studio known as Nervous System. Some of the projects here have delved into the use of 3d modeling to simulate real life occurrences throughout nature. One of their projects, featured here (Floraform), generates a design system mimicking the biomechanics of growing leaves and flowers. Another one of her projects, Kinematics, can transform 3d shapes into a flexible 4d printing system. The flexibility is a big leap forward in the printing processes available. In further relation to design, there is the Custom Jewelry project, which takes advantage of 3d print and computation to create custom jewelry.

In relation to artists/designers, her studio is giving people a new avenue to use to create. 3d printing is allowing for people to skip some of the physical labor that was so critical to artists in previous years. I think it’s interesting because part of what made artists of the past so admirable was the amount of time and pure dedication they poured into an idea just to make it come to life. Now, with 3d printing (if it really takes over), this might mean that people are admired more purely for just their creative ideas (?)

Another aspect of her work I was fascinated by was how it can transform the way we research. Having these simulations, such as Floraform, opens amazing possibilities for research with a great deal of freedom/control. But a big concern with this type of technology is that, while it can simulate an individual process of growth, it can’t always simulate the environment surrounding that structure. For example, Floraform is able to simulate the way a flower grows, but I’m not sure it will ever be able to simulate the dynamics of every detail of the environment around a flower. In real life, the environment has a huge effect on it’s growth and lifespan, and this environment is so randomly detailed. These simulations focus so much on the focal point of the plant without maybe seeing its growth as a constant conversation between plant and its shifting environment.