Aki Inomata's 3D printed tiny cities on shells for hermit crabs

August 3, 2013 11:21 AM

"I overheard that the land of the former French Embassy in Japan had been French until October 2009; that it was to become Japanese for the following fifty years, and then be returned to France. This concept made me think of hermit crabs, which change their shells.... The hermit crabs wearing the shelters I built for them, which imitate the architecture of various countries, appeared to be crossing various national borders. Though the body of the hermit crab is the same, according to the shell it is wearing, its appearance changes completely. It’s as if they were asking, “Who are you?” " More about Aki Inomata's 3D printed shells on The Guardian's Architecture and Design Blog
posted by filthy light thief (14 comments total)

Well that's the damned coolest thing ever.
posted by curious nu at 11:23 AM on August 3, 2013 [3 favorites]

Gorgeous and creative.
posted by tickingclock at 12:23 PM on August 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

As long as it's not too heavy for the crabs, I am all for it.
posted by Samizdata at 12:46 PM on August 3, 2013

"Great- I got Cleveland."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:16 PM on August 3, 2013 [5 favorites]

This was much better than I expected.
posted by chisel at 1:54 PM on August 3, 2013

As long as it's not too heavy for the crabs, I am all for it.

I'm more worried about the 3D printing process leaving jagged edges in the cavity that might hurt the crabs. But maybe the printer is fine enough that it won't be a problem.
posted by ymgve at 2:02 PM on August 3, 2013

A cool concept, and not one that many would think of. It's not often that a work of art seems truly original. I love the combination of the natural -- even alive! -- animal with an artificial art object, and how they are combined in a way that is not only surprising and pretty delightful, but also makes you think: about the value of real estate, of having a space to call home, and one's transitory place in the world.

I was a little disappointed that the shells are transparent, because you can't see the architectural elements very well, and because it lends a kind of clinical coldness to the whole.
posted by Vispa Teresa at 2:14 PM on August 3, 2013

Now we need to create a very alrge hermit crab... to solve all our housing problems!
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:27 PM on August 3, 2013

Very pretty!
posted by limeonaire at 4:09 PM on August 3, 2013

Lovely but just made me sad. Inspired by a seaside individual called "Leonardo da Pinci," I've tried making hermit crabs part of my household but had to stop because they kept dying. :(
posted by Morrigan at 5:49 PM on August 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

ymgve: "As long as it's not too heavy for the crabs, I am all for it.

I'm more worried about the 3D printing process leaving jagged edges in the cavity that might hurt the crabs. But maybe the printer is fine enough that it won't be a problem."

Or, as it struck me later, that there's no toxic effects from the plastic...
posted by Samizdata at 6:02 PM on August 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

I overheard that the land of the former French Embassy in Japan had been French until October 2009; that it was to become Japanese for the following fifty years, and then be returned to France.

Interestingly, this is more or less correct.
posted by dhartung at 2:31 AM on August 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Thanks, dhartung! I was looking for information on that, and was failing.

The land was purchased by the French Embassy from the Japanese Government in 1972. The land will be subleased by the Embassy, so the apartments are NOT freehold. Land ownership for the new apartments will be under a 50-year fixed term leasehold which is not renewable. At the end of the 50 year term, the building must be demolished and the vacant land returned to the landholder with no compensation to apartment owners.

An odd bit of territorial wrangling.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:55 AM on August 5, 2013

Also of note: there are bio-compatible 3D printable materials. As I am not familiar with the range of options for the plastic "ink" used by 3D printers, the "colorless transparency" mentioned in this product description could indicate that the tiny city shells are made of this stuff, but that feature could be common among plastic "inks."
posted by filthy light thief at 9:58 AM on August 5, 2013