Fig 1. Silkworm weaving composition under different stimulations Source: https://www.archdaily.com/384271/silk-pavilion-mit-media-lab
The Silk Pavilion itself in my opinion felt very ‘sculptural’ in nature, as at first sight it is seens to simply take the behaviour of how silkworms spun their silk and translating it directly into panels. What was interesting and informative for me was the process where the silkworms were studied and the way they spun their threads. The silkworms were affected by spatial and environmental conditions including geometrical density as well as variation in natural light and heat[1], which affected the composition of the weaves. Oxman was able to control the material properties of the pavilion in much the same way an architect would specify a certain type of steel to use in a building[2]. This study relates back to the limitations of generative design, where the difficulty of obtaining the parameters to input into the computer inhibits its ability to generate the desired outcomes. But in this case, the parameters were concise, able to be generated and controlled at will, resulting in a comprehensive study of the resulting form.
I was hoping that they can further take the study of these patterns and run the patterns through different materials and under different surrounding conditions, such as timber/wood in relation to moisture and perhaps even sound, and also explore how the weaving pattern can be manually adjusted to adapt to said situations. Perhaps in an architectural context, the weaves can be the facade of a building, with its openings and configurations controlled by a machine, able to respond to the environmental changes the way silkworms do, and perhaps even receive some input parameters from the user himself, if he wants to adjust the facade to an environment according to his needs. In a way, the process itself felt very generative. What was meant to be a study of the silkworms’ movements led to the discovery of several behavioural patterns, which can further be translated as parameters and input to the computer, and in return these can lead to new innovations in parametric design.
1. Silk Pavilion, MIT Media Lab, retrieved Mar 15 2018, http://matter.media.mit.edu/environments/details/silk-pavillion 2. A Mind-Blowing Dome Made by 6500 Computer-Guided Silkworms, Joseph Flaherty, retrieved Mar 15 2018, https://www.wired.com/2013/07/your-next-3-d-printer-might-be-filled-with-worms/
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