Marzena Szwed

The Beauty of Curvature proposal seeks a way of developing a curved form created entirely out of flat plywood components, which connect with each other with interlocking slots and do not require any additional fixtures. The project explores the potential of plywood as a self-supporting material, and uses boards as thin as 2.7mm, which significantly reduces the weight and cost of the structure.
The layout of the panels ensures that material waste is reduced to a minimum.

The project has evolved as a result of series of experiments and explorations of different ways of creating curvature from plywood. It initially started as an ambition of bending plywood on a formwork, using vacuum bags and lamination which proved to be non-cost effective, time consuming and not environmentally friendly due to the lamination process. The idea then shifted into curved structure composed out of 2D panels interlocking with each other, which led to its final form.

The proposal reflects on immortality and how our lives would look like if we could reach it. Evolution has sentenced us to the process of aging, and ultimately to death, but as we understand it more and more, we may be able to outwit it. Sounds like paradise? Wouldn’t you want to be immortal?

The art installation is composed of cone shaped cells that divide itself creating new cells, which in turn develop into new ones and the process repeats. The components are made of laser cut, rolled thin sheets of plywood and are connected with metal screws. The structure, measuring approximately 20 feet long and 26 feet high, becomes stronger with every iteration, is structurally stable and self-supporting but on the other side almost invisible and very fragile in appearance. By joining the cone-like shaped cells, a set of domes at different scale is formed which are composed into pavilion serving as shelter to partially protect from sun and wind and casting beautiful shadows at the same time.

The pavilion is providing an opportunity to lay down, calm and contemplate. Look around and reflect on the surroundings – is it the blurred, crowded playa that attracts your attention? Or the cells of the structure that interest you? You have a chance to hide away for a moment and meditate. At night, the structure becomes illuminated from the inside, which highlights the pattern, casting even more beautiful shapes than during the day. You can move the bulb around and play with the light to explore different parts of the structure and look closer into the cells and how they divide themselves.

The concept was born during my research on fractals and their exploration through the Mandelbulb 3D software where by composing different formulas and changing their parameters, I could create beautiful, endless shapes. Infinity is one of the main feature of fractals, therefore, trying to materialize the experiments into physical models was the biggest challenge. To represent endlessness, I started looking at cell division and unicellular organisms, such as bacteria and paramecia, which multiply by dividing themselves. The duration of the cell ends with the division, but the line can be considered immortal.
The life span of a cell usually has specific limits due to telomerase and a separate genetic program of aging and death of complex organisms that evolved only about a billion years ago. Single-celled organisms that lived on Earth before that did not experience either aging or death and at a certain stage of maturity, they divided into two new cells. The first death occurred, when the sexual reproduction appeared – evolution has sentenced us to the process of aging, and ultimately, to destruction. However, recent developments in the field of physiology and medicine show that the elixir of life does not sound like a myth anymore and may become a reality in the future. And what if it becomes a reality? Does it scare you or does it make you happy? The aim of the proposal is to reflect on immortality and how our live would look like if we could achieve it.