Could moss be a pioneer on Mars, as it once transformed Earth’s barren landscapes? As the first plant to emerge on land, it initiated soil formation, paving the way for other life to emerge. My degree project explores this idea through a vessel designed to be 3D printed in Martian regolith, the most abundant material on Mars, which also acts as a foundation for studying biological photovoltaics (BPV)—solar power through photosynthesis. 

I focus on Syntrichia caninervis, a moss resilient to radiation, drought, and freezing temperatures, yet still requiring liquid water to grow. In this speculative future, a hundred years from now, vessels placed on the ground in a Martian biosphere will form an ever-expanding network, where BPV powers a sensory interface, monitoring moss health. Over time, the vessels will break down, returning the regolith to the landscape. As generations of Martian-born people continue to expand the project, the earlier moss carpets will remain undisturbed as the foundation for soil formation and the start of new ecosystems on Mars.

The vessel is first sculpted in clay by hand, and later 3D scanned to enable reproduction in my material of choice. For Konstfacks Spring Exhibition five vessels are 3D printed in sand, simulating their appearance if made from Martian regolith. These vessels are connected to an electronic artefact, 3D printed in bioplastic, that communicates the BPV charging trough blinking light-emitting diodes (LED). Together these artefacts are envisioning how moss and humanity, bound in mutual dependence, might shape interplanetary habitats. In doing so, it also invites a broader reconsideration of our relationship with moss on Earth in present time.