Sunday, October 23, 2011

Inspirations!!!

Gravilux!

I have used this app on one of my friends iPads and it is one of the coolest apps EVER!!!
These are different examples of people's artwork:





Aden in Eden Scratch Project

Monday, October 10, 2011

Curatorial Statement and Sources Overview


Curator Statement

Additive Manufacturing is quickly gaining momentum all throughout the world whether it be within consumer objects or textiles.  It is changing the way designers design and manufacturers create.  Designers such as Janne Kyttanen and companies like Materialise are using the new media technology of the 3D printer to create objects the reflect old school ideals.  Before Henry Ford introduced assembly production that enabled consumers to receive identical products all throughout the world., each product was made specifically for each person that it was going to.  Additive manufacturing has the capability of creating products that are unique and personalized, yet produce them at an exponentially faster rate then today’s assembly line production can additive manufacturing allows for absolute personalization of products, textiles, and apparel. 
            Through more research it is possible that this technology could be one of the answers to creating a more sustainable textiles industry.  Additive manufacturing has the potential to be a cradle-to-cradle design practice, where after a garment or household objet is ready to be thrown out, it is sent back to the printing plant to be broken down so as to be built into something new.  There will be no more wasted scraps of fabric, and middlemen.  Additive manufacturing is going to change the way we design and create products, just as Henry Ford did back in 1903.

Sources:

-       Additive Manufacturing

-       Rapid Manufacturing
-       Wearable technology

-       Melonia Shoe
-        

-       Andreia Chavez and the Invisible Shoe

-       Janne Kyttanen

-       Melonia Shoe Video


Artist and Designer websites:

Naim Josefi

Janne Kyttanen

Materialise

Andreia Chaves

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Rapid Manufacturing

What is Rapid Prototyping/ Additive Manufacturing?


Rapid prototyping is the construction of virtual 3D CAD (computer aided designs) images into 3D objects.  Rapid Prototyping first came about during the late 80s, it allowed designers to create 3D prototypes of their potential designs.  Over time these the ability of these 3D printers grew exponentially.  It was now possible for these printers to create actual finalized objects that could be manufactured and sold to consumers.  These term rapid prototyping soon became known as additive manufacturing.


How does Additive Manufacturing work?


Designers and engineers create 3D CAD images and objects on the computer, this information is then sent to a 3D printer where they are constructed.  The printer deconstructs the CAD images into individual layers to be able build the object layer by layer.





Janne Kyttänen, Product Designer and Rapid Prototype Innovator

Janne Kyttanen started a company called Freedom of Creation that uses rapid prototyping to create a variety of manufactured objects.  He believes strongly in rapid prototyping and thinks that it could be the future of manufacturing in both textiles and products.

Pros:
- Reduces over and under production
- Has minimal labor
- Minimizes waste -- No molds, no stock products
- Exponentially faster than traditional manufacturing

Some of his products include mud mats for cars, full length dresses, light fixtures, stools, benches, as well as personal client-asked for objects.
















Andreia Chaves

Andreia Chaves is a Brzilian designer to is exploring the potential of 3D printing within the fashion industry.  She worked with Janne Kyttanen to construct a pair of high fashion shoes.  They were debuted at this years Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  She titled them the Invisible Shoes.  The shoes are manufactured using both conventional leather sewing techniques and Kyttanen's 3D printing technology.  Invisible Shoes will be launched for retail in Asia, starting in Beijing in three different versions.






Materialise


Materialise was started in 1990 in Belgium.  It is now a large company of about 800 employees.  They have the largest amount of additive manufacturing equipment in Europe and strive to bring 3D printing technology and software into the consumer product and medical practice arenas around the world.


Focusing on consumer products, Materialise not only creates intricate and beautiful designs, but they are also extremely practical.  Some of their designs have been featured at the MoMa in New York City, and are for retail online.


One of the most intriguing aspects of Materialise is besides their extensive library of consumer product designs they allow the consumer to create their own 3D CAD image, which Materialise then prints and ships to them.


















Naim Josefi and Souzan Youssouf


The last designers I want to point out, worked closely with Materialise last year to create a pair of shoes solely out of 3D printing plastic polymides.  The Melonia Shoe was designed by two people,  Naim Josefi and Souzan Youssouf, who then sent the design to Belgium where Materialise had it made.  Only five pairs of the Melonia Shoe was manufactured and were revealed and used in the Stockholm Fashion Show last year.


The idea behind this shoe is to create a somewhat cradle to cradle product.  In other words, a product that does not ever die, it can be reused and recycled over and over again.









The future of additive manufacturing...


- Allows for specialized design and creation processes within the product and textiles industries.  We do away with the conventional "one-size fits all" logic, and allow for each person to make objects and clothing that are made specially for them and the way they want it.
- Technology and design process is much faster and efficient than conventional manufacturing so it would speed up productivity and decrease the amount of middle-men needed for production.
- Body scanning will allow designers the ability to create garments for consumers without having to take a single physical measurement.  It can all be done through a computer.
- It is more sustainable.  No more needle and threat.  No more wasted scraps of fabric.  Clothes and objects are created using only what is needed.  
-

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Photo Mashup




For my photo mashup I wanted to deal with the problem of large corporations stomping on the environment.  I became a vegetarian five years ago, after learning that not eating meat is the largest way to lower my carbon footprint.  When trying to decide on a company to showcase, it seemed that McDonald's would be an obvious target, because they are so well know and have little to no environmental protection standards.
I started with Ronald McDonald, and this concept of him killing the environment.  I went about illustrating the kill through the use of a live tree hanging from a noose.  I like how Ronald McDonald's facial expression permeates such happiness, and he looks so pleased to be killing the environment.
I then wanted to play off of McDonald's slogan of "I'm Lovin' it".  I took the same type face and changed the message to "What's to love?".  This word exchange makes the viewer really think about the companies they are supporting and whether or not eating a Big Mac is really worth it in the overall scheme of things.
To strengthen my argument, I decided to turn this mashup into a GreenPeace advertisement.  GreenPeace is a very vocal environmental protection organization.  I wanted my piece to be simple and to the point, which I think comes across really nicely.  It is not too in your face and over the top so as to not make the viewer overwhelmed, but still question McDonald's practices and their potential actions of eating at McDonalds.

Sources:

Tree
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dodo-bird/537734614/

GreenPeace

Nuse
http://www.flickr.com/photos/victorianlondon/5956993315/

Ronald McDonald
http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/leave-ronald-mcdonald-alone/

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Walking Again with E Legs

I had the privilege of seeing this presentation live at TEDxDU last year, and it this technology is absolutely amazing.  This woman's story about being able to walk again with the help of this bionic technology is truly inspirational.

Tempt

The Fate of our World...


Just for a little laugh :)