2010



‘the silhouette of a foreground object in a video frame is subtracted from
the background and used as a two-dimensional slice. at user-defined intervals new slices are captured and displaced
along the depth axis. the result is a three-dimensional model defined by silhouette slices over time.’ 

For the full article click here
For more 'fabrication-innovation' click here

Freeze Frame

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November 22, 2010


Underground laser scanning in my hometown. Enjoy!
More info on the Nottingham cave survey can also be found here

Federico Diaz: Geometric Death Frequency-141-spot from federico diaz on Vimeo.

running from october 23 until the end of march 2012, MASS MoCA will be exhibiting geometry death frequency – an external sculpture by frederico dĂ­az. the scuplture is an aggregation of 420,000 black spheres – precisely milled glued and assembled by a team of robots and mechanical assembly lines (of which process can be seen below in the clip).

visually, geometric death frequency-141 combines diaz’s interest in the built environment, deep natural forces such as cellular growth, physics and fluid dynamics to create a massive wave confined within an invisible 50 by 20-foot tank that penetrates the wall of MASS MoCA’s lobby from the exterior of the museum’s main entrance courtyard. as the wave hits imaginary boundaries, it splashes back and up as high as the second storey galleries of the museum,

architecture critic and curator jeff kipnis calls diaz’s work “re-origination,” comparing it to the making of a book into a film. in one sense the film represents the book, yet does so in an entirely new medium, and through this becomes something completely different.i n the case of geometric death frequency-141, the “book” is a digital photograph of the museum’s clocktower entry courtyard as taken by the artist, which the artist then transforms into pure data, and modulates using analytical and fluid dynamic modeling techniques, finally rendering the data stream into a three-dimensional sculpture using state-of-the-art computer-aided manufacturing methodologies. the new work thus combines elements of photographic manipulation, data analysis, and computer programming, utilizing new techniques to produce a sculpture completely untouched by human hands.

check the wired site for further slides and the geometric death frequency-141 page @MASS MoCA

geometric death frequency-141

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November 10, 2010



We caught a brilliant exhibition of prints by Piranesi at the Giorgio Cini Foundation in Venice, supplemented by some fantastic three dimensional representations of his designs courtesy of Factum Arte and a sub-exhibition of Gabriele Basilico's comparative photography.

Piranesi in Venice

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November 6, 2010



Brief Guardian article about the simultaneous evolution of tools and language, based on research using digital capture of analogue modes of making. Original research paper here.

Hands at the Wellcome too.



45°45'04N 11°54'48E
45°51'17N 11°52'53E
45°26'22N 10°59'17E
43°49'54N 11°09'25E
43°46'42N 11°15'35E
45°01'57N 07°40'02E

and much much more...



Looking forward to checking this at the V&A.




"FABRICATE is an International Peer Reviewed Conference with supporting publication and exhibition to be held at The Building Centre in London from 15-16 April 2011. Discussing the progressive integration of digital design with manufacturing processes, and its impact on design and making in the 21st century, FABRICATE will bring together pioneers in design and making within architecture, construction, engineering, manufacturing, materials technology and computation.

Discussion on key themes will include: how digital fabrication technologies are enabling new creative and construction opportunities, the difficult gap that exists between digital modeling and its realization, material performance and manipulation, off-site and on-site construction, interdisciplinary education, economic and sustainable contexts."

Plenty more info here: http://www.fabricate2011.org/

Fabricate Conference

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October 3, 2010

How far can material limits be pushed? Here a crazy guy in France has built a working boat out of chocolate..

Chocolate boat

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September 27, 2010


Should be worth a check, from 8th September 2010. [cheers A]

Eadweard Muybridge at Tate Britain

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August 31, 2010

Category


Summer reading? Tom McCarthy writes about representation of the machine in literature...

Blake to Ballard

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July 24, 2010

The Architectural Review selected Unit 23 as one of its top ten london architecture units.

Unit 23 article here.



Some fresh making by Orawee Choedamphai

Dimensional Textiles

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June 15, 2010


"Airborne lasers have "stripped" away thick rain forests to reveal new images of an ancient Maya metropolis that's far bigger than anyone had thought."
Click here to read more

Hidden Cities

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May 31, 2010



"an excavation in the non retinal order of architecture"; incredible archive of projects by James Cathcart, Frank Fantauzzi and Terence Van Elslander..

Iceberg Project

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May 7, 2010

They always say its never great to do welding in a hurry, but just sometimes you have to..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8659398.stm

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May 4, 2010

Kid-printer

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May 2, 2010



Comparison of 3D scanning technologies from the perspective of conservators of the Naum Gabo collection at the Tate (Spiral Theme, 1941 shown above).
The sculptures posed difficulties being reflective and complex, which meant that haptic means were necessary in addition to laser scanning and photogrammetry. Such documentation allows the rapidly degrading sculptures to be reverse-engineered into a kit of parts which allow their recreation or restoration.

Scanning Gabo

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March 23, 2010



Informative slideshow about practicing stonemasons. Back to the old school...

edit: (23.03.10) Modern Britain, it seems, is not much fussed about the skills and knowledge that exist only in the minds, eyes and hands of people who make things – our living vernacular heritage - further reading from the Guardian again.

edit: (31.03.10) Handmade shoes - and again.

edit: (08.05.10) stonemasonry versus office work - guess where...

Disappearing Acts: Stonemasonry

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March 11, 2010

The work of Henrik Menné Reminds me a little of Anish Kapoor's Waxy canon

If only I could draw this fast....

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February 7, 2010



Using industrial robots to introduce curved folds into sheet metal.

Lecture at the London Knowledge Lab on Tuesday 9th February: Curved Folding: from Craft to ROBOFOLD®

[Last night's episode of the Bartlett International Lecture Series got us thinking, of course - thanks to Gramazio & Kohler whose work with industrial robots at ETH (as mentioned below) was a sight to behold...]

robofold

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February 4, 2010

Read this

Then look at this

Then download these





Foldfest

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January 28, 2010



A discussion of Cedric Price's Fun Palace at the Geological Society on 22nd March 2010:

This new series invites critics to propose and make a case for what they believe to be London’s most significant and important building. A panel of respondents will debate and discuss the chosen building, and encourage the audience to share their own views.
Hans Ulrich Obrist is the Co-Director for Exhibitions and Programmes at the Serpentine Gallery. He has curated over 200 exhibitions and his recent publications include Formulas for Now, which invites contributors from the fields of art, science, mathematics, music, architecture and literature to express their understanding of contemporary life.
The unrealised Fun Palace (1961–74) was planned as a multi-purpose complex for theatre and cultural projects, addressing the urgent need to connect different disciplines and practitioners in a world of ever-changing parameters.

Tickets can be booked here.


I've got a friend who works as a jobbing builder, and this month has just been doing a few antarctic kitchen extensions...









Antarctic kitchen extensions

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January 27, 2010

Category


Pretty pretty!
Read the full dezeen article here

Freya's cabin in the snow

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January 25, 2010

Category



Fernand Fonssagrives' work is reminiscent of the optical scanning technologies which we used at the beginning of this year to map the body.

Unsung hero of American fashion photography, cohort of Alexey Brodovitch, exhibiting at the Michael Hoppen Gallery until 6th March 2010.

Structured Light

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January 23, 2010

Graffiti Research Lab have been developing an eye-tracking system based on open source software and off-the-shelf hardware. It is has been used to enable paralysed graffiti writer Tony Quan to create public artworks again, from his hospital bed, using some components of the Projection Bombing kit.



The Eyewriter

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January 16, 2010




Decode is an exhibition of interactive artworks at the Victoria and Albert Museum until April 11th. It's a small show, but dense, high calibre, and well-presented. Most of it was working too!

Some favourites:

Fabrica - Exquisite Clock

Radiohead - House of Cards (touch screen version is on show)

Ryoji Ikeda - data.scan

Random International - Audience

Ross Phillips - Videogrid

Decode at the V&A

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January 13, 2010

If you have a free afternoon (or several) why not try following these steps to make your own...

Wahoo!!!


DIY CNC

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January 4, 2010