In between yesterdays symposium (08.12.2020) I was able to take some time and collect my 3D prints that I started printing the week before.
The results have really set the cogs spinning in my head
First up are the above and below prints. these are small sketch prints of my torso holding a piece of card and a stone carved head for the head.
What interests me about these prints is how the scanner has reinterpreted the 3D print part of this sculpture (the body). The clarity of the original has been lost and the information has been degraded, lines have been simplified and smoothed out.
the base on which these figures are standing is also interesting, instead of the printer printing it as a solid uniform texture it has added gradients and a pattern very much like camouflage is this a glitch or has it come about from the software trying to translate the originally scanned image?
This next example though small is tall in stature. Not only has it been altered by using software to stretch the head and add texture but it has also been printed using a copper impregnated filament. This filament is interesting stuff it is a plastic based but with a high percentage of copper particles suspended in it. Once printed it has a look of terracotta and unlike normal PLA a vegetable based plastic filament which has a lightness to it, this filament possesses a solid cast metallic weight.
In its just printed state the model can be worked and polished like copper, but more interestingly if you soak it in vinegar it will oxidise, as can be seen in the picture below. It is this oxidised verdigris that can give an aged artifact feel to something that through technological advancements is clearly part of the 21st century.
This next print is bigger in stature like the smaller prints it is just as interesting, the printing support structures are still attached and I really like this aesthetic as it looks like a monument of sorts
this final piece is again printed with the copper filament, unfortunately it did not complete the print process due to problems with the printer filament, so the top of the head is missing, yet I do not see this as a problem it now gives me the option of placing the model either way round, it is now more of a component, that can now be stacked within other elements of a sculpture.
So what is it that also interests me about 3D printing? In all honesty it is the speed in which something can be produced. It may not replace traditional metal casting methods, but when you don’t have access to a foundry this is a rather good alternative. The production costs work out a lot more affordable due to the materials used.
I am now looking forward to when we return to University as I now want to expand my research within the world of 3D printing and produce some bigger and more complex prints.
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The Art and musings of Jeffrey Knopf 