Hermit crabs, the most unusual super soft crustacean, set off in adulthood on a lifelong search for a home to protect their vulnerable bodies. They forage for shells left by other animals, usually sea snail shells, and as they gradually grow larger they switch homes quite often. If shells aren’t available, they will adapt pretty much anything that will work as protection – pieces of wood or even plastic bottle caps.
Artist, Aki Inomata, has created a collection of 3D printed shells out of clear plastic for her project, “Why Not Hand Over a “Shelter” to Hermit Crabs?”
Inomata decorated her crustacean homes with recognizable skylines or famous buildings from around the world. She was inspired by a piece of land that, although on Japanese soil, was held by the French, and housed the French Embassy in Japan. Ownership of the land was peacefully transferred back and forth between France and Japan without a fuss. The artist also noted that people often move between countries and was inspired by hermit crabs and their seamless transfers from one home to the next.
At CALA this summer you can explore the wonders, and new applications of 3D printing technology, or take a course on architectural history and styles.
PDES1-CE9063 3D Printing, Scanning, and Rapid Prototyping
PDES1-CE9088 Design, Drawing & Visual Development
Wow! Those pieces are fantastic – poor old hermit crabs look so awkward.
As Mies van der Rohe said, ‘less is more.”
imaginative and original concept for sure!