This Design Contest is part of the Sutra2DNA Project funded by a Temple University Presidential Humanities and Arts Grant (2019).
Stupas, originally large earth mounds containing Buddhist relics, are common to all forms of Buddhism and were built and venerated for more than 2000 years all over Asia. They also were miniaturized for various devotional purposes and used in rituals or as reliquaries.
In this contest prizes will be awarded for the three best proposals for a 3D-printable miniature stupa. The function of the stupa is to serve as container for a small (2*1 cm) capsule. The capsule contains the Chinese version of the Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist text, encoded in synthetic DNA. The miniature stupa must be able to open and close (to deposit the capsule) and should not exceed a volume of c. 12*12*15 cm. Multiple parts are possible, perhaps necessary, but the stupa should be reproducible with minimal post-printing finish. Removing supports, polishing, gluing of printed parts, and glazing/painting is acceptable. Research in the history of form and function of traditional miniature stupas is encouraged. Next to judging function and design, the jury will look how the submission enters in a dialog with traditional stupa architecture and its miniaturization.
佛塔本为舍利容器，过去两千多年间，在亚洲佛教世界广为流布。除建筑佛塔外，还有诸多大小形制不一的小型佛塔存世，以满足信众的不同供养之意。美国天普大学（Temple University）组织此次3D佛塔设计比赛，欢迎来自世界各地的参赛者。
Stupas were originally conceived as receptacles for relics of the Buddha, i.e. the ashes and bones left over after his cremation. Next to relics of the physical body of the Buddha, Buddhists believe that his "Dharma-body", the sum of his teachings, is what remains and deserves veneration. By encoding a Buddhist text in DNA, the Dharma-body is again expressed in the fundamental basic constituents of the human body - in four different amino acids that contain the code to build the rest of the body. The encoded text, the Diamond Sutra, is a core Mahāyāna text widely read and distributed throughout Asia. The oldest extant printed book is a copy of the Diamond Sutra. Like many Buddhists texts it is anti-essentialist in its message and counters the reification of Buddhist soteriological concepts by insisting that those striving for truth must do so "without relying on anything 無所住." We have produced a DNA version of the Diamond Sutra that is encased in a small metal capsule. The miniature stupa is to house the capsule.
I incorporated a few design features I felt were appropriate given the ultimate use of this project. One is the incorporation a DNA helix. There are two twisting supports that when viewed head on, replicates a DNA helix. Another is a Diamond figure as the crown. Given that this is object is to encase a DNA based copy of the Diamond Sutra I felt this was also an appropriate design element. The .STL files for this project were created with Autodesk’s Fusion360 CAD software. It was designed to take up the maximum volume that was stated as acceptable for this project: 12cm x 12cm x 15 cm. In order print this with the most detail I used my Anycubic Photon Mono X SLA 3D printer. This style printer uses photosensitive resin to build up objects layer by layer. Because of the complexity of printing the top piece, this project requires support structures that need to be removed post printing via cutting and sanding. It was also found to be easiest to print the object into segmented parts that would be glued together. After cutting, sanding, and gluing a coat of gloss, spray paint and sealant was applied to the model.
- Tom Leighton, 2022 (Tom's Instagram)
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