Post-Industrial Aesthetic

January 17, 2009 | No Comments »


Flickr image of 3d printed Guavaroo helmet by sketchguy

We were in the workshop, when I made a comment about the finishing of 3d printed objects. I was thinking about Shapeways and I thought the rough finishing of the plastic might be unacceptable to the buying public.

My lecturer likes the texture. He thinks it is naturalistic, like wood grain.

“But people have certain expectations when they buy things,” I said, “You only have to compare any injection molded product on a supermarket shelf to a 3d printed object.”

My lecturer shrugged.

“It could be the new post-industrial aesthetic.”

Posted in: Book Snippets

The Most Important Things

December 08, 2008 | No Comments »

via Ester Partegàs

Posted in: Found Objects

Inanimate object, do you have a soul?

September 26, 2008 | No Comments »

“Objets inanimés, avez-vous donc une âme?
Qui s’attache à notre âme et la force d’aimer?”

“Inanimate object, do you have a soul?
You, who attach yourself to our hearts and force them to love?”

- French poet Alphonse de Lamartine

Posted in: Book Snippets

“Sea Plastic”

September 14, 2008 | No Comments »


Sea glass Flickr image by candyonthebeach

Sea glass is glass waste dumped into oceans, tumbled by the waves across sand and sea beds to become frosted smooth shapes. They are very pretty and lots of people collect them to keep, or use it to make jewellery and stuff.

Sea glass can be quite new (coke bottles) or very old, dating from 16th century when ships dump their glass bottles overboard, and glass debris is washed out to sea from coastal dumps. Sea glass collectors are even advised to throw back “unfinished” sea glass with sharp edges, to let the sea continue wearing them down.

Sea glass is becoming quite rare, because of the move towards plastics and recycling. People don’t throw their glass into the seas anymore. Judy Stark from St Petersburg Times laments:

“Sea glass started out as trash dumped from ships or washed from dumpsites. Strange to think that one form of trash turns into a treasure we’ll miss when there is no more.”

Right now, we have huge amounts of plastic waste floating in the sea…. In another hundred years, there will probably be “sea plastic”. People will be scouring the beaches to collect pretty blobs of plastic worn away by salt water and sand for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Nature is funny sometimes.

Posted in: Musings