D Magazine Update on Rapid Art Project
Read here what Peter Simek with D Magazine wrote leading up to the Rapid Art project:
12 Dallas Artists Go Digital With TED
One of last year’s most celebrated events had to have been Southern Methodist University’s first collaboration with TED, a conference non-profit founded in 1984 to bring together people from three fields: technology, entertainment, and design. The fall symposium was only the beginning of a new brain trust that has been kicking around town: TEDxSMU. That organization has been forging contacts between local creative classers, holding events, and basically allowing their tech-inspired approach all things thinking to begin to infiltrate the local culturati. Case in point, on September 14, TEDxSMU will open an exhibit for their Rapid Artists program. Twelve Dallas artists from various mediums have learned to sculpt on CAD programs, computer software that allows for objects to be created digitally and then rendered into 3D objects.
I’ve only seen the press release images, and while the work seems visually compelling, I will admit some skepticism about this idea in general, which strikes me as a little gimmicky. Still, the process was likely interesting for the artists involved, and they’ll be speaking at the salon accompanying the exhibition opening. More images of the work and a full release can be found after the jump.
(Image above: “Elk” by Dave Van Ness)
TEDxSMU and SculptCAD Announce Rapid Artists Salon and Special Exhibition Exploring Boundary of Sculpture and Digital Media
DALLAS – August 27, 2010 – TEDxSMU, the high-tech think-fest organized around “ideas worth spreading,” is partnering with SculptCAD, an innovator in blending sculpture and computer-aided design (CAD), for the Dallas premiere of the SculptCAD Rapid Artists sculpture exhibition. The exhibition, the first of its kind in Dallas, will open with a special TEDxSMU salon from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 in the lobby of One Arts Plaza, 1722 Routh Street, Dallas.
“Sniffing” by Brad Ford Smith
For the exhibition, 12 Dallas artists have diverged from their typical mediums to explore the boundaries between sculpture and the high-tech world of 3D computer modeling. On display will be their final creations, each sculpture having been created and produced using ground-breaking 3D printing processes in materials ranging from bronze to plastic.
The September 14 salon and exhibition opening is open to the public, and tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 the week of the event or at the door, pending availability. For more information or tickets, visit www.tedxsmu.org/events/.
The salon will feature a TEDxTalk from Nancy Hairston, founder of SculptCAD, who created the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project to see what artists could do if equipped with tools for rapid prototype printing, 3D scanning and digital sculpture. Afterwards, the artists will be available for one-on-one discussions about their sculptures, inspiration and the experience of working with 3D modeling technology. The exhibition will remain open to the public through October 16, 2010.
The September 14 TEDxSMU Rapid Artists Salon is one of several TEDxSMU-affiliated events leading up to the October 15 TEDxKids @SMU and October 16 TEDxSMU conferences. The pre-conference events provide an opportunity to engage even more members of the Dallas community in the TEDxSMU experience, in order to stimulate new ideas and discussions. For more information about upcoming TEDxSMU events, visit www.tedxsmu.org.
Participating Exhibition Artists:
Heather Gorham, Ginger Fox, Shawn Smith, Dave VanNess, Mark Grote, Jay Sullivan, Tom Lauerman, Albert Scherbarth, Heather Ezell, Brad Ford Smith, Shane Pennington and Nancy Hairston
About the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Program
“Hare” by Heather Gorham
SculptCAD Rapid Artists is an experimental project launched by Nancy Hairston, President of SculptCAD, a leading provider of product design and rapid prototyping services. Dedicated to the creation of fine art, the project’s mission is for artists to explore and expand on the use of computer technology to design and produce sculpture. Through the project, artists could experience the freedom from the constraints of physical media that digital processes can offer, and investigate how that freedom would affect their work. The idea was to expose artists to something new, something they had never worked with, and then see what would happen.
SculptCAD Rapid Artists was founded in October 2009 and is based in Dallas, Texas. For more information about how SculptCAD Rapid Artists is changing perceptions of art in the physical world, visit http://www.sculptcadrapidartists.com.