Though 3D printing technology still in its infancy, Chicago-based artist Josua Harker has made strides in the creative potential of the medium. The artist
has experience in both the technical and creative applications of the
technology: His engineering and software development backgrounds
culminated in what he describes as a “perfect storm” of skills that
paved the way for his foray into 3D-printed art. Harker’s technical
background certainly comes into play when creating his intricate
sculptures with fragile, lace-like embellishments and organic, tangled
shapes. Monochromatic like bone, his works have served as wearable
headdresses in fashion shows as well as free-standing and hanging
sculptures that are testaments to the technical possibilities of a
largely uncharted artform.
Harker describes his work process as
intuitive. He does not do preliminary sketches to avoid a clumsy
translation from one medium to another. Rather than coding his work, he
works in a virtual program that he explained is akin to traditional
sculpting and drawing. “I’m essentially a classically-disciplined
sculptor,” elaborated the artist, “meaning my work is more about the
form and my interpretation and execution of it, rather than data and
computational manifestations.”
When the work is finally printed, Harker
explained, the experience is like a birthday for the piece. One can
imagine the artist feels like an expectant parent after the long hours
spent laboring over the sculpture in virtual space.Harker
looks optimistically into the future of 3D-printed art. With the
technology’s potential to evolve, he is both skeptical and welcoming of
the hype surrounding it. The world is not yet equipped, he believes, to
look at 3D-printed artwork with a critical eye because most people don’t
are unexperienced with the medium at this point in time. “That said, it
will become a real part of our everyday lives and may well prove to
redefine how our global economies function and how we participate,” he
predicted. “It’s truly a revolutionary time.”
by Nastia Voynovskaya/HighFructose
www.joshharker.com
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