Hot Plastic
experiments, 2019 -
The process of 3D-printing is not a perfect one. Transforming digital information into a physical object using machines and hot plastic produces a fair amount of waste material. As an artist that uses a 3D-printer to produce tools and art objects, I often find myself surrounded by small piles of melted and tangled plastic; a physical collection of machine errors, failed prototypes and other glitches that occur on the path to creating a fully-realized, 3D-printed object. When I stop for a moment and take the time to look closely at one of these piles of plastic detritus, complex and intricate structures begin to reveal themselves. Is this plastic “waste” actually waste, or can it be transformed into something else in its own right?
Shown here are some experiments combining 3D-printed waste material with a traditional relief printing process. During this process, fragments of 3D-printed plastic are coated with ink and run through a printing press, leaving surface impressions on damp cotton paper. The 3D-printed plastic (PLA) is soft enough that it shifts just slightly in certain places when under pressure, making each impression on paper unique.
Through the process of transforming these pieces of plastic using ink and paper, I have begun to see the failures and waste products of my working processes differently. Through Hot Plastic, this collection of glitches that were once destined for the plastic waste stream instead can become small, intricate works of art.
This project has been shown in multiple iterations*, including in Spacetime at Emerson Media Arts Gallery in Boston, MA and most recently in ArtiSocial, a group show in Spinderihallerne in Vejle, DK.
*These sets of relief prints have also branched into an investigation of time and surface shifts, which are inherent in both 2D and 3D printing processes. I scanned sets of prints of individual objects and turned them into 30 fps frame animations where 1 print = 1 frame.
Shown here are some experiments combining 3D-printed waste material with a traditional relief printing process. During this process, fragments of 3D-printed plastic are coated with ink and run through a printing press, leaving surface impressions on damp cotton paper. The 3D-printed plastic (PLA) is soft enough that it shifts just slightly in certain places when under pressure, making each impression on paper unique.
Through the process of transforming these pieces of plastic using ink and paper, I have begun to see the failures and waste products of my working processes differently. Through Hot Plastic, this collection of glitches that were once destined for the plastic waste stream instead can become small, intricate works of art.
This project has been shown in multiple iterations*, including in Spacetime at Emerson Media Arts Gallery in Boston, MA and most recently in ArtiSocial, a group show in Spinderihallerne in Vejle, DK.
*These sets of relief prints have also branched into an investigation of time and surface shifts, which are inherent in both 2D and 3D printing processes. I scanned sets of prints of individual objects and turned them into 30 fps frame animations where 1 print = 1 frame.
A selection of prints and 3D printed waste material installed at ArtiSocial.
Plastic waste being examined at the ArtiSocial opening.
Jar of 3D printed waste installed for ArtiSocial.
Frayed foundation, ink on cotton paper, 30 x 40cm framed.
Print detail, ink on cotton paper.
Architectural Fragments, ink on cotton paper, 30 x 40cm framed.
A piece of 3D printed waste material with ink on it, before printing.
A resulting print. Pocket with thread, ink on cotton paper, 30 x 40cm framed.
Print detail, ink on cotton paper.
A GIF made from layering a series of individual relief prints.
Print detail, ink on cotton paper.