Hot Plastic
photographic series, ongoing
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. 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 human/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 material actually waste, or can it be transformed into something else in its own right?
The images in this series are created by capturing images of 3D-printed plastic fragments via a flatbed scanner. This process allows me to create hyper-real, large-scale photographic prints, transforming overlooked bits of waste into abstract art objects.
The images in this series are created by capturing images of 3D-printed plastic fragments via a flatbed scanner. This process allows me to create hyper-real, large-scale photographic prints, transforming overlooked bits of waste into abstract art objects.
Eclipse, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in. (in private collection)
Detail.
A perfect balance, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Dark star, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
On the wind, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Detail.
Ø, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Blink, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Vortex, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Skull, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Thought Form, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Agnes, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Cast into the void, Archival Inkjet Print, 24 x 36 in.
Detail.