2021 • Computational Design • 3D Printing
Molded uses computational models based on Physarum polycephalum behavior, simulating how slime mold establishes optimal paths between food sources by creating and abandoning connections until only the most efficient routes remain. The algorithm generates network structures that minimize total path length while connecting multiple anchor points, mirroring the mold's natural problem-solving abilities. These computationally-evolved forms are 3D-printed to create jewelry structures that represent biological solutions to mathematical optimization problems. The printed pieces can be colonized with living slime mold, allowing the actual organism to grow across the structures its logic inspired. This creates a feedback loop where digital simulation informs physical form, which then hosts the biological system that generated the original algorithm. Part of the Beyond Biomimicry collection, the work demonstrates how ancient organisms can act as designers through computational translation. 
