Embodied Computation

Axel Kilian (Germany)

Studio-X Istanbul

“Embodied Computation is a reflection on those changes in design that… increasingly link humans and designed objects… The discourse on natural and the artificial systems, their relation to the environment, and the science of the human activity of design draw a clear distinction between the two. Yet when viewed through the lens of embodied computation, the distinction becomes less pronounced as every concept and idea is embodied in some physical form… As matter organizes itself, in some cases it develops the ability to sense, think, and develop a certain level of awareness of itself… Embodied Computation is a challenge to the notion of physical form as the primary carrier of design intent, and instead emphasizes the continuity of the design process into the deployed state as a process of continuous adaptation.” –AK

Embodied Computation proposes a new way of understanding computational design as a combination of both physical and digital constructs. The installation presents three experimental projects that are capable of sensing, acting and adapting themselves to the environment: a three-dimensional printed stool, a neutral buoyancy robotic printing method, and an actuated active bending tower. Embodied Computation suggests a changing relationship between humans and designed constructs whose physicality is inseparable from the algorithms that govern them.