3D Prints for the Big Audience: Taking a Look at the Latest 3D Printing Exhibitions in NY, Paris and Madrid
It doesn’t matter if you’re already a 3D printing expert or if you’ve only heard rumors about the way this new technology is currently changing the way we design and produce objects: 3D printing is en vogue and 3D printing exhibitions are currently taking over museums by storm.
Three promising exhibitions in New York, Paris and Madrid have just opened their doors – and expect more than 100,000 monthly visitors. So we took a look at what these visitors could expect and created a short collection of must-see 3D prints!
‘Manus x Machina’ exhibition in New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has finally opened the doors to its latest exhibition: Manus x Machina, the Costume Institute’s new tour de force curated by Andrew Bolton. The exhibition explores the complex dichotomy between handmade haute couture and machine-made prêt-à-porter, and how the boundaries between the two are growing increasingly blurred.
Several 3D printed dresses made in collaboration with our parent company Materialise, including “Crystallization” collection by Iris van Herpen with Daniel Widrig, have been featured as part of the exhibition’s exploration of technological innovation used in fashion.
Ensemble by Iris van Herpen with Daniel Widrig | Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
‘3D Printing – Factory of the Future’ exhibition in Paris
The ‘Lieu Du Design’ museum in Paris just opened its ‘3D Printing – Factory of the Future’ exhibition. This exhibition focuses on all the different aspects of 3D printing. For instance, one of these aspects is called “hyper optimization”. This is all about taking standard items and enhancing them with the help of 3D printing. A popular example on display in Paris is the ‘Cool Brick’, a 3D printed brick allows air and water to flow through a complex system of internal tunnels and thus functions as a passive air conditioner to cool down buildings.
Another part of the exhibition is about creating aesthetic products with 3D printing. These are mainly high-end furniture or interior design items. We were especially happy to see that the Quin Lamp by Bathsheba Grossman is one the designs on display.
Quin Lamp by Bathsheba Grossman
A big part of the exhibition is reserved for parts that change the way we mass-produce products. A popular example that represents the power of 3D printing in terms of mass production are hearing aids. Producing hearing aids once was a very labor and time-intensive process. Thanks to 3D printing, the process is now fast, automated, and leads to cheaper products for end-consumers.
3D printed hearing aids by Phonak and Materialise
Last but not least the Lieu du Design in Paris also recognizes the big role of makers, hobbyists, and the DIY-movement in promoting 3D printing to the public. Visitors to the Lieu du Design will even have the possibility to take a look at the inmoov robot, an open source 3D printed life-sized robot.
If you want to see these and many other 3D prints, be sure to visit this exhibition before July 9th 2016. You can find more information about it here.
‘Immediate Future – 3D Printing’ exhibition in Madrid
The exhibition area of the CentroCentro museum in Madrid also hosts a new show about the impact of 3D printing. ‘Immediate Future – 3D Printing’ explains three-dimensional printing technology with thirty different products and projects on display.
According to the museum, the organizers want to showcase a technology that changes the way we produce, consume, and interact with objects; a change that will have consequences for the economy and that raises questions about intellectual property and the role of the designer.
The exhibition opens a small window into a vast range of products and possibilities, covering almost all aspects of life: from food to human organs, from metal components for construction to furniture, from ceramics to prostheses, from jewelry to dresses, from glasses to footwear.
One of the items on display will be Patrick Jouin’s C2 chair, a limited edition chair that was completely 3D printed in resin. Patrick Jouin is probably one of the most popular and most influential furniture designers that enhances and creates his interior design objects with 3D printing.
C2 Chair by Patrick Jouin
Another product on display is the adidas Futurecraft 3D, the ultimate 3D printed running shoe midsole. In order to provide a personalized experience, adidas and Materialise created a unique combination of material and process. Using 3D printing to produce footwear will take the running shoe standard to the next level, offering unprecedented individualized support and cushioning for every foot, to enable athletes to perform at their best.
Futurecraft 3D by adidas
CentroCentro in Madrid also highlights the everyday use of 3D printers for consumers in this exhibition. The Project RE_ by Samuel Bernier explores 3D printing as a DIY tool for upcycling. Customized lids are created using low cost 3D printing. They are then clipped or screwed onto standard jars, tin cans and bottles to create new and personal objects.
Project_RE by Samuel Bernier
If you want to see these and other 3D prints, be sure to visit this exhibition before June 26th 2016. You can find more information about it here.
Can’t make it to Paris or Madrid this summer? Don’t worry, we always cover the most important 3D printing trends on our blog. Thinking about giving 3D printing a try yourself? Upload your design here and we will create a high-quality 3D print in more than 100 different materials for you.
