From sonic waveforms to robotic beetles eerily clad in exoskeletons resembling human bones, 3D Printshow is not only a gathering of companies and vendors but a gallery of artists and designers exploring the technology as medium. The fourth floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion on the border of NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood has literally been turned into an “Art Gallery” (above) displaying works that examine both the material and conceptual properties of 3D printed objects. And even throughout the vendors on the first floor you’ll find art sprinkled in many booths.
As you might have guessed, these objects are entirely sculptural and are best examined and experienced in three dimensions. If you’re around town this weekend the show is open to the public from 9:30am-5:30pm on Saturday. There’s lots to see beyond the purely technological advancements and comparisons to be made between competing vendors (with everything from printers to scanners to software and services on view). Here is just a sampling of what artists and designers are using 3D printers for:
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- A kinetic contraption, whose gears are 3D printed putting to test the tensile strength of the material.
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- A kinetic contraption, whose gears are 3D printed putting to test the tensile strength of the material.
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- This 3D print captures a piece of architecture in time that is otherwise being eroded by nature and will eventually disappear.
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- Makes me think of a hybrid of futuristic architecture and graffiti.
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- The chair’s structure is a code, which if scanned with the correct decoder would tell a computer, ‘chair.’ See next slide for detail shot.
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- The chair’s structure is a code, which if scanned with the correct decoder would tell a computer, ‘chair.’
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- The properties of extrusion are on full display here, creating a topological design. See lots more 3D printed fashion on our Catwalk Highlights post
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- Very neo, very baroque, very BIG!
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- A laser passes over a sonic waveform and interprets the audio, an excerpt from a State of the Union speech by President Obama mentioning 3D printing.
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- The 3D printed waveform in its case.
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- A crowd-sourced full-size bust of George Washington.
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- Flamboyantly decorative wall-mounted animal heads.
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- Using tools like Google Maps’ Street View to render ‘drive-by- photographs into 3D models.
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- Organic and generative rhizome-like lamp structures by Nervous System.
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- Organic and generative rhizome-like lamp structures by Nervous System.
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- This fashion ornament is a melange of symbols and objects, and appears to be a singular print. See lots more 3D printed fashion on our Catwalk Highlights post
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- One word: creepy!
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- Collect your friends!
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- The Print Green machine made by University of Maribor students was also on display.
Tickets and venue information can be found on the 3D Printshow website.
