Nervous System Holiday Ordering Deadlines

Don’t worry! There’s still time to pick up one of our Small Seed Lamps, a Sterling Silver Bamboo Cuff, or anything else from our shop for your favorite friends and relatives.

To ensure delivery by Christmas, please get your orders in on or before the dates below and select the mentioned shipment speed on checkout.

Dec 14th – International orders shipping by Express Mail
Dec 15th – Canadian orders shipping by Express Mail
Dec 19th – USA orders shipping by Priority Mail
Dec 20th – USA orders shipping Express Mail

Nervous System @ CMU Design

Special thanks to Terry Irwin, Golan Levin and Jeremy Ficca for organizing our trip earlier this month to visit Carnegie Mellon University.  We gave a lecture for the Design school, played with robots in the Architecture department’s Digital Fabrication Lab, and spoke with students at the Studio for Creative Inquiry.

They even videotaped our lecture….so without further ado, here it is!

new: the Cellular Pendant

Cell Cycle, our first line of 3d-printed jewelry, was introduced in 2009 and originally only consisted of bangle bracelets and rings. Earlier this year, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Store asked us to create a companion earring design to add to our bestselling rings and bracelets. You can see the earrings we created for them below. They are available for purchase exclusively at the SFMoMA store in San Francisco and online.

We also created a matching necklace design which is for sale on our own website. The Cellular Pendant, the first necklace in the Cell Cycle collection, is available in black and white polished nylon and also in sterling silver. The black and white nylon pieces are 3d-printed using Selective Laser Sintering while the sterling silver version is cast from a 3d-printed wax. The sterling silver version of the Cellular Pendant comes on a 20″ sterling silver snake chain and is packaged in wood box laser engraved with cellular pattern. It’s for sale here on our website and also at the WIRED holiday store in NYC. The black and white versions come with 18″ sterling silver cable chains.

Holiday Sale! and a gift guide

In honor of the release of our housewares collection, Reaction, we’re having a holiday sale.  Use the coupon code REACTION to get 15% off anything in our shop!  Scroll down for a few gift suggestions from Nervous System.

The photograph is by Natalia Borecka and features a model holding one of our small Seed Lamps.  We have a couple of lamps in stock for immediate shipment for your holiday needs!

The sale runs from 11/28/2011 until 12/15/2011.  Don’t know what to give someone for the holidays? Here are a few of our favorites!

Clockwise from the left.  Silver Vessel Pendant ($275), Cross-venulate Earrings ($40), Cellular Pendant ($50), Reaction Cup ($20 each or 4 for $60), Spiral Cuff – stainless steel ($178), 1-layer twist ring ($15)

Becoming Lichenized

Recently, my friend Shaunalynn Duffy asked me to give a talk at a Sprout event centered around Fungi. Specifically she was interested in the photographs of lichen I’ve taken over the past couple of years. I decided to speak a little about why I find lichen so fascinating and below you’ll find some of my thoughts in the matter. At the end, I include a brief aside on how our architecture should start being lichenized.

Why I like Lichen

Cladonia rangiferina, photographed in the Adirondacks, NY 07/11/2011

Lichen are strange conglommerations of two or more species from completely different biological domains of life. A lichen usually consists of a fungus and one or more photosynthesizing partners, usually it’s partnered with a single type of algae but sometime it can be paired with multiple types of algae or even cyanobacteria (photosynthesizing bacteria). Most fungi are decomposers, they feed on the detritus of other living things like leaves, soil and the dead. They live their lives in the soil hidden from observation except occasionally when their reproductive organs emerge for brief gaudy fits of spore dispersal. Fungi live inside their food. Their body is a huge absorptive mass of long linear branching cells called hyphae which provide them with a really big surface area to absorb nutrients from the soil. They typically do not build any complex structures, tissues or organs except when they need to reproduce; then they may build odd fruiting bodies like mushrooms to spread their spores. The shapes of these structures are adapted to their environment and it’s inhabitants who they must depend on to carry their offspring to new sites.

Ramalina menziesii, photographed at Drakes Estero in Point Reyes, CA 09/04/2010

But, lichen are different. When fungus partners with a photo synthesizer, it undergoes a dramatic transformation in physiology, chemistry, and life-style. While fungus is comprised of one large, simple structure of filamentous hyphae, lichen develop a myriad of complex structures to perform a variety of function. While fungus live as decomposers, the last step in a richly developed ecosystem, lichen are colonizers: some of the first organisms to enter desolate and dangerous environments such as toxic slag heaps. They have developed unique chemical pathways that can breakdown rock or oil.

Rhizocarpon geographicum, photographed at Glacier National Park, MT 07/15/2009

Some people describe a lichen as a fungus that has taken up farming, growing sugars in little algae patches throughout it’s body, in contrast to the decomposing habits of normal fungi. If fungi can be described as living inside their food, then lichen are essentially fungi turned inside out. Their food lives inside of them.

But I find it more intriguing to think of lichen as a fungus trying to be a plant. Like a plant it has photosynthesizing portions which produce food (the algae or cyanobacteria) but also structural components (the fungi) which protect and arrange the photosynthetic elements. As a photosynthesizing organism, lichen are under a lot of the same constraints as plants. They have to effectively collect sunlight and water. They have to be rooted to something, they have to resist gravity… Correspondingly, lichen have independently evolved very similar body plans to plants…..despite have an entirely different chemical and biological makeup.

crusty: photographed at Yellowstone National Park, WY 07/20/2009
leafy: photographed at Woodstock Land Conservancy, NY 12/24/2006
branchy: photographed at Yosemite National Park, CA 01/31/2008

Lichens tend towards three general body plans: crusty, leafy and branchy or crustose, foliose, and fruticose as they are usually called. But often a single lichen specimen may exhibit several of these morphologies as well as other less commonly seen ones. There are scaly lichens, powdery lichens and even gelatinous ones! But in all these body plans, the fungus must build transparent greenhouses of fungal tissue which protect the algae from UV light while displaying them in a way that allows light to be collected. They have to prevent the algae from dehydrating while allowing for carbon dioxide to diffuse into the algae during photosynthesis. These tasks are much more diverse from the normal role of fungal hyphae, which must simply spread out through the soil, exploring and absorbing food and this leads to much more morphological differentiation.

Cladonia Cristatella at the Woodstock Land Conservancy, NY

What about reproduction though? How can a lichen, which is actually a symbiosis of multiple types of creatures produce more of itself? Reproduction is complicated for lichen. Only the fungus can reproduce sexually, sexual reproduction for the algae is suppressed. The fungus produces spore dispersing structures. One of the most common seen among lichen are apothecia, these are the cup and disc-like growths you see in many of my photos. They can vary in size from under a millimeter to over 2cm. Sometimes they are the same color as the rest of the lichen other times they are dramatically color. Sometimes they are spread throughout the body of the lichen other time they protrude outwards on long stalks up to 1cm long.

left: lichen at Indian Lake in the Adirondacks, NY 7/21/2010
right: lichen at Fjordland National Park, New Zealand 08/28/2008

So the fungus produces these structures for the dispersal of spores but without an algal partner these spores can’t produce a new lichen. This means that if the spore lands somewhere where there happens to be some free living algae of the right species it might be able to lichenize and survive but most algae that form lichen can’t live in their environments outside of the lichen thallus (body). To get around this constraint lichen have developed several types of propagating units they can disperse that contain both fungus and algae. Also many can produce simply through dispersal of the lichen thallus; it a bit rips off and lands somewhere else, it may take establish a new lichen.

lichen photographed at Fjordland National Park, New Zealand 08/29/2008

Becoming lichenized

towards a new architecture

Fungi have incorporated algae and other photosynthesizers into the structures they build to provide themselves with a dependable sun-powered energy source. They’ve become lichenized. We should too.

What would happen if our buildings became “lichenized”? As our knowledge of biotechnology and our environmental concerns continue to expand, we should take inspiration from the adventurous fungi and consider how we can better partner with photosynthesizers. How can algae or cyanobacteria be used in architecture to provide energy for our building systems? The self similar body plans of lichen and plants already inform us of many solutions to problem of how to compactly array photosynthetic cells to the sun. Research into biophotovoltaics or “Microbial solar cells” suggests we may be able to harvest electricity from photosynthesizing cells directly in addition to producing a range of useful chemicals and fuels.

Photosynthesizing surfaces offer many benefits over photovoltaic cells. The a biofilm of algae is a self-organizing, continuously growing system; hence it can self-repair leading to less maintenance and greater performance over a longer period of time. Photosynthetic systems have intermediate energy carriers which means energy can still be generated in the dark. Photosynthetic systems have a vibrant aesthetic appeal, by adding them to our buildings and cities we’d be “greening” them.

So what happens when our built environment becomes lichenized? As with the fungus whose structure and lifestyle change so dramatically, how can our buildings, urban planning, and society change when we are freed from the grid of infrastructure that currently supports, but also limits us.

Interested in this? Here are some articles I found interesting. Please send more my way if this is your area of interest because I would love to learn more.

Microbial solar cells: applying photosynthetic and electrochemically active organisms
Direct Extraction of Photosynthetic Electrons from Single Algal Cells by Nanoprobing System
Development of Bio-Photovoltaic Devices

Reaction – now available! the first housewares collection from Nervous System

Nervous System has released Reaction, their first collection of housewares. The collection includes porcelain cups and plates and matching 3D printed lamps. The pieces are intricately embossed with intertwining patterns of ridges and valleys that create a unique experience that is both visual and tactile. The designs are grown through a computer simulation of reaction-diffusion, a chemical patterning mechanism observed in a myriad of biological systems, from animal prints to slime molds.

Products

Two porcelain tableware designs. These are dishwasher and microwave safe.

The Reaction Cup – $20 each or $60 for a set of 4. 3” x3.5” high (7.6×8.9cm), holds approximately 10 oz of fluid. It works for both cold and hot beverages, as the ridges provide an extra layer of insulation.

The Reaction Plate – $25 each or $80 for a set of 4. 8” (20.3cm) diameter. Features a spiraling embossed reaction pattern. The ridges are more highly raise at the edges of the plate and get flatter towards the center.

One of our Reaction plates imaginatively plated by Andrew and Michael of A Razor, A Shiny Knife

Lamps

Lamps come in a variety of styles and sizes and are made of rigid nylon plastic. The forms are reminiscent of corals, sand dunes, and seed pods. The pattern modulates the surface thickness to reveal a cellular texture when lit. Each is lit by a 3-watt Cree LED fixture with switch and wall US wall plug. More information is available on the individual product pages.

The Reaction Lamp – 7” diameter (~18cm), $900

The large Seed Lamp – 10.5” diameter (~27cm) $1400

The small Seed Lamp – 7” diameter (~18cm) $900

The cup and plates sets come in the packaging (shown below) which describes the ideas behind the designs.

Inspiration

photographs of animal patternings by Jessica Rosenkrantz of Nervous System

Reaction-diffusion (RD) is a canonical example of complex behavior that emerges from a simple set of rules. RD models a set of substances that are diffusing, or spreading; these substances also react with one another to create new substances. This simple idea has been suggested as a model for a diverse set of biological phenomena. All kinds of animals from fish to zebras display interesting color patterns on their skin and shells which play important roles in their behavior. However, the underlying cause of these patterns is still not understood. In 1952, Alan Turing suggested the RD system as an answer to not only this question but also the more general one of why cells differentiate. How do individual cells locate themselves in the larger scale structure and pattern of an organism? The patterns seen on the animals occur over a scale much larger than a cell, yet they display remarkable self-similarity on every part of the animal’s body.

Turing studied the behavior of a complex system in which two substances interact with each other and diffuse at different rates. He proved mathematically that such a system can form stable periodic patterns even from uniform starting conditions. One of the most interesting things about RD is that you can have a homogeneous system where every cell is doing exactly the same action (for instance just producing a certain amount of some chemicals); but from this one process a large scale structure emerges.

You can read more about reaction diffusion in our previous blog posts on our work with it.

System

We wrote a computer program to generate 3D forms using a mathematical simulation of RD, and used this software to grow the designs of the reaction collection. Parameters of the simulation can be varied for differing effects, creating different types or directions of pattern. These parameters are controlled and change through space to express design intent. The process begins on an imported underlying surface, and a 3 dimensional object is formed by embossing or removing material from that surface based on the chemical concentration present at each point in space. Multiple scales of pattern and simulation are used to create more detailed forms.

Fabrication

After being computationally grown, the digital objects are made physical through 3D printing.

The lamps are produced directly using selective laser sintering, a type of 3d-printing where nylon powder is fused by a laser. However, the cups are plates are produced by slipcasting, a process where clay slurry is poured into plaster molds. A master cup and plate model is printed using SLA to create molds.

(SLA positives of the cup and plate designs for slipcasting)

These models are produced 15% larger than the final pieces to account for shrinkage that occurs when porcelain is fired. A rubber positive master mold is made of these 3D prints, which is used for the creation of plaster production molds. Slip is poured into each mold and dries. The plaster mold absorbs moisture, hardening the exterior of the slip, the rest is poured out, leaving a shell. This shell is the cup; but, it’s in a “green” state and must be fired in a kiln and glazed to realize the final product.

Sketches

Here are some images of sketches we produced while working on the designs for the cups, plates and lamps.

now available Hyphae Lamps #14-28

We’ve been really excited about the enthusiastic response to our Hyphae Lamps! On August 16th, we sold the last Hyphae Lamp from the first series that was available on our website.  Each lamp in the series is a one of a kind design but the series itself is unlimited.  So in the following days, we’ve grown the next group of lamps.  These lamps number 14 through 28 and are currently available for purchase in our online shop.

One of the great things about having sold the first batch of lamps is that they were all printed and we were able to do a family portrait of a number of them together.  We also had a chance to design packaging for the lamps which we are making in house on our laser cutter.  Each lamp comes in a two part box with a detailed laser engraved venation pattern and edition number.

Amazing Hi-Res Homemade 3D printer

Junior Veloso has made what is probably the most sophisticated homemade 3D printer ever. It is an SLA-type printer, meaning it prints with UV-cured resin. It has an amazing resolution at 50 micron per layer. This means it prints super smooth and with ridiculous details. It also doesn’t have the geometry limitation and messiness of other homemade 3D printers (RepRap, MakerBot).  The materials tend to be a bit more expensive, but you can print wax to do lost wax casting.

He’s been using some of our open source models as test pieces. Makes me want to release some more of our designs, just to see how they print on this machine.

He will be releasing the printer as a kit in the next few months. The price is still unknown, but this may be first DIY printer I would consider for serious production.

New rings

We’ve added two frequently requested rings to our offerings.  You can now purchase our Hyphae Ring in sterling silver ($350) on our website here.  You can select from sizes 5 thru 8 or select “custom size” and leave a comment when you order to get any size.  We can make any of our rings in 18kt gold, platinum, or palladium as a special order.

Our Cell Cycle Thin ring is also now available in stainless steel ($30) in sizes 5 through 9: here.

Hive trivets – now for sale!

The Hive trivets are finally for sale on our website! We designed them last year for San Francisco tableware brand Modern Twist.  We are selling them in 5 colors: aqua, cherry, charcoal, clear and black for $12 each.  Buy them in our web shop here.

Hive is a modular silicone trivet featuring an organic embossed pattern inspired by cellular forms. The Hive trivets fit together to create a functional space that is also pleasing to the eye. They come in an array of fun colors. Use them individually for hot plates and pans, piece them together for larger dishes and pots, or make a honeycomb-esque table runner.  Manufactured by eco-friendly brand Modern Twist, these clever kitchen + dining accessories are durable flexible and soft to the touch.

The overall shape is based on a hexagon, so the trivets tile seamlessly; but, they have a serrated edge that allows you to leave gaps and form more irregular patterns as well.  The design was created in our Radiolaria system.  We’re really excited about these trivets and can’t wait to see what people do with them!