The Natural Materials Lab and WASP partnered for the creation of Earthen Rituals, exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Architecture
On the occasion of the 19th edition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture, WASP and The Natural Materials Lab of Columbia University GSAPP collaborated on the creation of a unique 3D printed earth-fiber installation that explores the intersection of AI-driven design with traditional materials rooted in embodied human histories.
This project stems from an existing partnership, as the Natural Materials Lab has been using WASP’s clay 3D printing technology, specifically the WASP 40100 LDM ceramic 3D printer for several years, as part of an NSF-funded project to investigate and advance research on raw earth and fiber-based building materials.
3D Printing of Fiber-Rich Earth Mixtures
For the creation of Earthen Rituals, the Natural Materials Lab reached out to WASP to support their production for the project, which included hundreds of earth tiles, within an intense production schedule. The lab team was hosted at WASP’s facility as part of the WASP Residency Program, where they had access to several of WASP’s latest LDM technologies.
The highly fibrous mixture, composed of 30% mass and 70% volume, was printed using WASP’s HD Continuous Feeding System in combination with the WASP 3MT LDM and WASP 40100 LDM.
Earthen Rituals – 3D Printed Earthen Installation
Facilitated through a digitized translation of existing earthen textures into code, Earthen Rituals generates a 3D printed system with earth-fiber mixtures combining construction waste soils with agricultural by-products.
The 3D printed mixture was developed through a kitchen approach, informed by ancient earth construction techniques cultivated in regions of the globe (e.g., Terracruda in Italian, Lehm in German, Toub Laban in Arabic, and Udongo in Swahili) to blend vernacular wisdom with cutting-edge material science to push the boundaries of what digital cleanliness is.
The visual character of the installation is shaped by techniques of rammed earth, weaving, basketry, and figurine-making. Earthy scents and light projections inside the structure enhance sensory and ritualistic experiences, illuminating the lifecycle, recyclability, and interplays between handcraft and mechanization.
By addressing extractive practices, colonial legacies, and climate crises, Earthen Rituals proposes ceremonial avenues that fuse approaches to human hand, tools, and machines; radical approaches that embrace raw materials and their messy, porous, and variable qualities; and devotional approaches that negotiates critical material design with fundamental scientific rigor.
The installation, located in the Natural section of the Arsenale area of the Biennale, will be open to visitors until the closing of the exhibition on November 23, 2025.
3D Printing Highly-Fibrous Materials
The printing of the highly fibrous material developed by The Natural Materials Lab was made possible by the new WASP HD Continuous Feeding System, which enables the printing of complex LDM materials with a high percentage of fibers or other aggregates.
Press Kit
email: press@3dwasp.com
Credits:
Participants
- Lola Ben-Alon, Jerusalem, Israel, 1985. Lives and works in New York, USA
- The Natural Materials Lab, Columbia GSAPP, New York, USA
Technical Collaborators
- WASP, Italy
Team Members
- Olga Beatrice Carcassi – Associate Research Scientist, The Natural Materials Lab, Columbia GSAPP
- Penmai Chongtoua – Adjunct Research Scientist, The Natural Materials Lab, Columbia GSAPP
- Natural Materials Lab Graduate Assistants – Keenan Bellisari, Christopher Tillinghast Sherman, Trella Isabel Lopez, Kelechi Iheanacho, Neil Potnis, Sherry Aine Chuang Te, Nikoletta Zakynthinou Xanthi, Amani Makee Hill.
Thanks
- Léonard Roussel (Audio Visual Support)
- James Nanasca and Yonah Elorza, Columbia GSAPP Making Studio (Facilities)
- Wil Srubar and Shiho Kawashima (USA NSF Research Co-PIs), Samuel Armistead, Rebecca Mikofsky, Erfan Mardan (USA NSF Research Students)
- WASP Team, Italy (Technical Collaboration and 3D Printing)
- Alessandro Terranova and Alessandro Cecchini, Yacademy, Italy (Documentation and Photography)
- Andres Jaque, Columbia GSAPP (Academic and Administrative Support)
Supporters
- Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation
- NSF FMRG Award number # 2134488: “Eco: Process-Structure-Property Relationships of 3D Printed Earth Materials and Structures” (PI: Lola Ben-Alon)
Photo Credits
- Making Of Photos: WASP
- Installation Opening Photos: Biennale Venezia