Jessica Rosenkrantz of Nervous System has been working with 3D printed objects for some time now and she develops generated works of art based on generative design. Her newest project, Colony, which is still somewhere been the drawing board and production is all about producing 3D printed designs based on natural phenomena to produce interesting works of art.

From the Nervous System website,

Nervous System is a generative design studio that works at the intersection of science, art, and technology. We create using a novel process that employs computer simulation to generate designs and digital fabrication to realize products. Drawing inspiration from natural phenomena, we write computer programs based on processes and patterns found in nature and use those programs to create unique and affordable art, jewelry, and housewares.

The new project, called “Colony” has its own Flickr stream of photographs of the current prototypes from the project and they’re both eerie and beautiful.

These test prints, she explains, are “full color 3D-printing for a new project each print is 4 to 6 inches,” and with “meshes generated by Processing. 3D-printed by Shapeways”

Shapeways continues to appear on the 3D printing scene with user-controlled printing capabilities to produce numerous products. It became a central focus for my piece on what we can expect in 2013 for 3D printing (miniatures and other products). Projects like Colony and others produced by Nervous System, as well as numerous projects, will give services such as Shapeways a real niche in the upcoming market for 3D printed products.

Discovered via Boing Boing.