Belgium is hosting an exhibition consisting of large and undulating pieces

Jun 21, 2014 07:40 GMT  ·  By

Most 3D printed figurines and baubles are small, but for those who have access to a large format 3D printer, the possibilities are far greater. Nick Ervnick may just be the person to exploit those possibilities the best.

Most 3D printing news has to do with some practical purpose, but art hasn't been neglected, and we aren't talking about simple action figures or little, on-piece toys here.

No, there is actual art being made via 3D printing technology. Nick Ervnick's exhibition in his home country of Belgium is only the latest (and one might say greatest) proof to that effect.

He got the vision for undulating, sophisticated objects some time ago, so he contacted experts at Materialise. This happened in 2008.

Ervnick's pieces are not so much “objects” as they are means to see how objects are positioned in space, or how they interact with it.

It is a very abstract way of viewing things, but it gave birth to some of the largest and most complex pieces of art seen to date.

One can only imagine the headaches associated with making one of those things using a mold. It would be all but impossible. As hard as it is for an artist to get a view of the item in their head, it would be infinitely more complicated to make the molds for it. Like trying to invert their perception.

3D printing technology offers an excellent opportunity to give physical form to anything that a person can visualize, and Ervnick is using that to its fullest. His pieces almost make you think they can move if you gaze upon them long enough.

Ervnick's work can be found in a new book (GNI_RI_2014) that he has released, one that was made in collaboration with certain 3D printing experts, scientists and professors from multiple universities. The images are Ervnick's, while the words belong to the other contributors.

Among the reasons for the artist's zeal in exploring abstract motion via 3D printing, there are the limitations of traditional sculpture, and its lack of renewal. He turned towards architecture and applied its principles to new media, in order to create a new language generated by computer software. That is how he put it, more or less.

The release of Ervnick's book will no doubt spurn other would-be artists into turning their vision real. There are plenty of visionaries who lack the dexterity to sculpt a block of stone or clay, but 3D printing will remove that barrier.