alexandra carr mrss

Structure of Nature

Structure of Nature is a DYCP research project supported by The Arts Council England.

By fostering organic processes in order to transform or create a material, that grows/replicates/dissolves/reconstitutes/evolves, and by harnessing natural processes such as accretion, erosion and phase changes, this project seeks to establish temporal works that communicate the concept of transience, transformation and impermanence.

The proposal of autonomous materials is central to this research and seeks to frame organic materials and ecosystems as collaborators.

The plant drawings began with a focus on utilising the root structures of plants as a mark-making tool. Directing the growth using different substrates and centres of nutrients was the aim. In testing various species and substrates my focus shifted from using the roots as drawing tools, to using the plants, the nature of their growth and directional light.

Above: the first plant drawing made with a paper origami tesselation as a substrate, forming an articulated structure for the organic growth to emerge from. The direction of light was used to determine the general direction of the growth of the plants.

Below: the first test of root growth patterns designed to be visualised by creating physical obstacles through transparent media.

Various substrates for the plant growth drawings were tested. These included various papers, agar, seaweed and experiemental composite biomaterials.

Paper proved to be a very versatile substrate for plant growth and its ability to form complex structures allowed me to develop a formal counterpoint between geometric paper structures and the organic growth of the plants. This fed into ideas I was exploring with regards to containment and sampling of natural systems and the reclaimation of manmade forms by nature. This led me to an exploration of orgami tesselation in paper and copper sheet as well as the exploration of geometric tessellating forms.

Above: an origami hexagon twist is produced in copper sheet. After the first test it was clear the copper needed to be annealed so as not to become brittle and split.

Above: an origami tesselation that has natural elasticity in the form. This may become the basis of kinetic pieces that are activated by plant growth.

Above: a rough scan of a geometric paper construction using Lidar scanning. This technique, once refined, may be used to digitally augment physical objects.

Above: early experiments into geometric form using procedural programming in Houdini.

Above: a creasing pattern used for origami tessellation constructions is used as a form of underlying, structural mark-making. A resist is applied before coating the surface with a crystalline solution. Once the resist is removed the untreated area is revealed amid the crystalline surface.

Above: an origami tessellation made with glassine paper and coated with a conductive coating which will be electroformed to form a coating of copper. Various currents and concentrations can form a range of metal crystal deposits on the surface of the paper.

Above: a selection of the copper sulphate residue drawings.

Below: a selection of the largest copper sulphate crystals which were grown. They will be manipulated through a combination of metal, fabric and glass adornments and through digital augmentation.

Above: the time lapse shows a development of paper substrates for grown materials and the exploration of crystallisation in various conditions.

Above: a selection of biomorphic compositions rendered using crystalline washes.

Above: tests showing how variables in a procedural algorithm can affect crystal growth. These tests were produced in Houdini and are the initial stages of an exploration into the augmentation of physical objects. It is anticipated that organic forms will be augmented with animations with a man-made, synthetic aesthetic and vice versa.

Above: pink oyster mushrooms are laid onto a hand-cut card stencil of geometric design as it releases spores onto a blue Perspex substrate. The colour blue was chosen to echo the cyanotypes used in botanical documentation. This is a twist on historical botanical techniques; organic matter forms an impression on synthetic materials to record an image that implies encoded data in the hand-drawn design.

Above: test animations produced in the programme touch designer in order to animate a platonic object from a geometric to an organic form.

Below: test animations produced in the programme touch designer in order to test the aesthetic outputs as variables are manipulated. These animations and developments of them will be manipulated through physical sensors and a digital interface by organic matter such as fungi and bacteria.