Breathing Life into Art: Filippo Nassetti Unveils “Breathing Architecture II”
On April 22, 2025, multimedia artist Filippo Nassetti has launched his latest piece, Breathing Architecture II. This unique sculpture blends cutting-edge scientific data with 3D printing technology, turning complex lung airflow patterns into a stunning physical form.
Measuring 45 x 26 x 31 cm, the sculpture is based on a dataset from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, showing how air moves through the tiny air sacs in the lungs. It builds on Nassetti’s earlier work, Breathing Architecture (2024), and was created during his time with the S+T+ARTS AIR residency program. The piece captures not just the flow of air, but also the elegance and complexity of the human respiratory system—bridging digital art with biology in a way that’s both visually striking and scientifically meaningful.
Digital art often breaks traditional boundaries—something not easily achieved by handcraft.
Where Art Meets Advanced 3D Printing
To bring this intricate vision to life, Nassetti used SLS 3D printing with nylon materials. Each delicate branch—some as thin as 1.6 mm—faithfully follows the path of air particles through the lungs, resulting in a sculpture that looks both fragile and powerful.
Nassetti explains:
“With Breathing Architecture, I wanted to offer a fresh perspective on how we can represent complex biological systems. Scientists usually rely on equations and physics, but as an artist, I see the human body as a kind of spatial structure. My goal was to show its complexity and beauty through high-resolution simulation.”
By mixing analytical thinking with artistic imagination, he’s opened up new ways to visualize and explore anatomy.
What makes Breathing Architecture II even more exciting is its scientific value. Researchers are now using the digital model behind the sculpture to study diseases like tuberculosis. In fact, this work was featured at the 35th Parallel CFD International Conference in 2024 and is helping shape new directions in disease modeling and simulation.
This isn’t Nassetti’s first venture into 3D printed art. Back in 2018, he co-founded the design collective MHOX with Alessandro Zomparelli. Together, they used generative design and additive manufacturing to create the Superabundant Mask. In 2021, he pushed boundaries even further with Postnatural Head—a 3D-printed sculpture that treats the human head as a weathered geological form, shaped by time.
With every new piece, Nassetti keeps pushing the limits of what’s possible when art meets science. His work doesn’t just inspire—it also serves as a powerful tool for research and exploration. Through 3D printing, he’s showing how digital creativity can help us better understand our own bodies and the world around us.