Neri Oxman
PopTech 2009
Neri Oxman is the founder of MATERIALECOLOGY, an interdisciplinary design initiative expanding the boundaries of computational form-generation and material engineering. As Oxman told Seed Magazine earlier this year, design should be considered “not only as an art form but really as a science, and perhaps a life science.” If Oxman has her way, the next wave of innovation will imitate nature’s stratagems as well as its sensuous forms.
Her creations include “The Beast,” a chaise lounge molded from 21 different materials and resins, and a wrist brace for carpal-tunnel sufferers that ingeniously exploits motion-capture software. Together with A. John Hart at the University of Michigan, Oxman has also pioneered “Construction in Vivo,” a technique for constructing walls out of carbon nanotubes that thicken or thin depending on where structural load support or light transparency are needed.
Her work has been displayed in MoMA, the International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Seville, and the Design Beijing Biennial. Among the many citations Oxman has received are the HOLCIM Next Generation Award for Sustainable Construction, a Graham Foundation Carter Manny Award, the AICF Award of Excellence, and the METROPOLIS Next Generation Award.
Oxman is based at MIT where she is a presidential research fellow and Ph.D. candidate. In June 2009, she was featured on the cover of Fast Company as one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business.”
Watch Neri Oxman’s talk at PopTech 2009