Julius von Bismarck Ultra Corpus (Epitonium imperiale), 2026

Ultra Corpus turns the natural process of biological growth into a technological process. At the center of the work is a small snail shell, which is digitally scanned and then extended through 3D printing into a much larger form. Mounted on a metal base, the sculpture rotates quickly, creating the illusion that the shell is continuously growing.

The project begins with real snail shells. Their spirals record the way the shells formed and grew. These forms are captured through 3D scanning and translated into an algorithm that continues their growth digitally. The resulting form is then produced as a metal 3D print. The original shell is preserved as part of the sculpture and makes up around five per cent of its total volume. The other 95 per cent is based on the computer-generated continuation of its growth.