"Biological Particles" is an experimentally-driven prototype design project that converges at the intersection of 4D printing technology, bionics, and bioethics. With the emergence of new life forms such as Xenobots and biological hybrid robots, the project poses a question: How is the definition of "biological" evolving in an era where programmed matter and living organisms increasingly share similar characteristics? The project envisions a future where the boundaries between the informational and material worlds become increasingly blurred, leading to a paradigm shift in design and manufacturing. This not only broadens our perspective on the biological traits that future products might possess but also raises a new set of ethical and technological considerations.
Vision
What sets this project apart is its linear rather than point-based approach to development. I aim to reflect on current technological advancements from the perspective of the year 2061, while also gleaning insights into the future from the design practices of 2022. This approach not only helps us to better understand current technological and social phenomena but also offers insightful projections and directions for the future.
Manifesto
Nature is the best teacher for the regenerative design that teaches us that every matter is in a cycle: it may be tangible like the water cycle, or it may be an invisible gas circulation around us; it may be on a scale beyond the universe, expanding and collapsing in the Big Bang, or it may be very small like the exchange between each particle. In theory, all matter in biogeochemical
cycles can be regenerated.
Our generation has piled a lot of pressure on this cycle the wrong way, so it doesn't flow at its usual rate. Like we've created rubbish that's hard to decompose, and we've consumed the planet's resources ahead of time...
The management method discussed in Chinese Taoism - governance by doing nothing, teaching without words, inspired me to adapt to nature. If the generation of waste is caused by the intervention of our human activities, the regeneration of the future should be de-intervention. In other words, we should simulate the cycle of nature itself, to follow the flow of nature itself.
In this practice, I will combine 4D printing, a new concept in recent years, to redefine the meaning of regeneration. I will apply the characteristics of life to product design and build a theoretical framework for product prototypes based on 4D printing, and discuss our future manufacturing and lifestyle with products as a self-diagnosing, self-repair and self-assembling organism.
