Output details

3D Printing for Artists, Designers and Makers

The monograph is the result of the research funded by two AHRC grants: ‘The Fabrication of Three Dimensional Art and Craft Artefacts through Virtual Digital Construction and Output’ (Jan. 2007-Dec. 2009) and ‘Solid Free-Form Fabrication in Fired Ceramic as a Design Aid for Concept Modelling in the Ceramic Industry’ (March 2011 - March 2012). It seeks to establish 3D printing as a viable creative technology for the visual arts and contextualises the field through a comprehensive survey of visual arts 3D print practice, examining the history of the process from its origins in the aerospace and industrial engineering industries to its current incarnations. Through a series of case studies of current practitioners in the field, from all areas of the creative arts and design both nationally and internationally, the volume describes and analyses in detail how artists and designers interface with 3D printing. The volume seeks to demonstrate how this technology is changing the practice of many artists and designers not only in the UK and Europe but across the globe. Hoskins argues that a fundamental understanding of materials and skills are essential for the future craft of the digital.

The central concept that underpins the study is to demonstrate the connections that link art and industry. This is the underlying philosophy of the research undertaken by Hoskins and the 3D print team at the Centre for Fine Print Research that has caught the attention of government and national research councils. 3D Printing for Artists, Designers and Makers exemplifies this approach, offering a case study that shows the ways in which new 3D technology has the potential to create wealth for the UK economy through the mutually beneficial interface between the arts and industry.