At the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit (February 24 – May 12, 2008) at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, Opel engineers are using nature to influence their design and technology.

Patricia Juncosa, Curatorial Assistance for the MoMA department of architecture and design takes you on a tour of the exhibit; including Joris Laarman's 2006 Bone Chaise (Chair). Laarman created the Polyurethane-based resin chair utilizing computer software developed by Opel that mimics the creation of human bones and is used to create automotive components. The weight and stresses on a typical chair are programmed into the computer, which then works out an appropriate “bone” structure, churning out a series of increasingly refined prototypes.

Check out Lother Harzheim, Project Engineer for GM Europe, explaining the software and its automotive usage.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, 2008 and
GM Europe (GME) ITC in Rüsselsheim, Germany. 2008
Video Courtesy of General Motors Corporation

Design and the Elastic Mind explores the reciprocal relationship between science and design in the contemporary world by bringing together design objects and concepts that marry the most advanced scientific research with attentive consideration of human limitations, habits, and aspirations. The exhibition highlights designers’ ability to grasp momentous changes in technology, science, and history—changes that demand or reflect major adjustments in human behavior—and translate them into objects that people can actually understand and use.

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