Image: Niklas, 2022, VR Designed 3D Printed Porcelain

3D software and printers, laser cutters, hot wire (thermal cutting wire) as well as conventional modelling can, under the direction of the designer, produce a product that is no longer limited in size. This way of creating offers a new, sophisticated aesthetic, while it can bridge the gap between idea and functionality since the object's response can be predicted and analysed at any time. In continuation of our discussion with Eftihis Efthimiou, we asked Nikos Athanasopoulos (Niklas) and Alexandros Vazakas to elaborate on the things that make digital fabrication so special.

Sealed Earth – Niklas

sealedearth.art

The Sealed Earth ceramics studio-gallery is addressed to all those who want to express themselves through clay, using traditional and modern techniques. Niklas, a member of the creative team, uses the technology of ceramic 3D printing. A key part of his research is the design of ceramic objects within virtual reality (VR) environments and their realisation through 3D printing technology. The forms of his creations are inspired by the ideas and forms that accumulate in his subconscious throughout the years and emerge gradually.

Image: Penelope Masouri

TUC Digital Fabrication Laboratory – Alexandros Vazakas

fablab.tuc.gr | tielabtuc.com

The Digital Fabrication Laboratory of the Technical University of Crete interprets modern technology as a tool for the production of non-standard forms at no additional cost. With the aim of innovative design for the benefit of society, the laboratory together with the TUC Tie Lab (Transformable Intelligent Environments Laboratory) study the potential of materials, both natural and artificial, so that through a human-centred design spaces and objects emerge that are distinguished by ergonomics and adaptability, while interacting with the environment and human psychology.

Image: fablab.tuc.gr

What are the advantages and disadvantages of introducing Digital Fabrication to design? Does the cost of equipment and materials rule out experimentation?

Niklas: Digital Fabrication is revolutionary due to the fact that it introduced the means of specialised production to the creative level, resulting in direct access to tools previously only accessible through industry. Consequently, the design and production of the artefact were integrated. They have become so integrated that design is so tied to production-manufacturing that sometimes it’s impossible to implement the designs by other means.

When it comes to equipment, my own experience involves a lot of open source (or open hardware), meaning that the information, blueprints, and everything else I needed was available on the cloud. From then on, the ways I used them to implement these designs were entirely up to me. The printers I use are built by me and over the years I have figured out a process so that I have complete control over both their coding and their mechanics.

To give a sense of the ratio of equipment cost to experimentation, I will use photography as an example. Today we all have a camera in our hands and can experiment with the art of photography. But when the creative search leads us to a specialised process like developing film, the equipment cost to experimentation ratio changes and it’s up to each person’s desire to go through with it. Something like that also applies to 3D printing.

At Sealed Earth we have created the conditions for artists or creators to incorporate ceramic 3D printing technology into their work. We try and select works of visual or conceptual interest and artists or designers who want to explore the limits of materials or technology. We work together from design to implementation.

Objects of an Emergency for Sealed Earth, presented at Salone del Mobile, Milan, 2021

A. Vazakas: I view digital fabrication as a means of liberating and democratizing design as it allows anyone to manufacture prototypes at a relatively low cost. It gives us, on one hand, the possibility of not needing facilities with expensive equipment in order to develop a product, and on the other hand, in combination with the appropriate software, to experiment with different techniques and formats directly on the material. Also, I think that the trend in this particular market of the so-called "file to fabrication" product, where the buyer manufactures the final product in a workshop by himself, having downloaded and adapted the designer's file, is important. Finally, these technologies allow for a new link between design and materials, bringing back the "craftsmanship" of the traditional artisan, without the laborious manual work that this required. Among the disadvantages, I would indeed list the cost and complexity of certain procedures but in any case, these technologies are becoming more and more accessible both financially and in terms of machine customisation options, offered by the designers of the machines.

Diamond Chair, 2015 | Professor: A. Vazakas, Student team: E. Bolou, E. Mougassi, C. Sarandidis for the class “Parametric Design 1”

Could domestic (Greek) design find its means of expression and production in digital media? If so, what sort of provisions, in your judgement, would be necessary (programs, equipment, training and information)?

Niklas: In the times we live in, "domestic" may also be an anachronistic concept. The stimuli are so many and the multiculturalism is so evident that the concept of locality fades away. The domestic is defined by a line on the map that, just from the events of recent years, we see is often violated, causing millions of people to move in search of new places to settle. So I'll make a wish rather than state an opinion. Let us free ourselves from the selfishness of what we consider ours and of our identity and allow other thoughts, cultures and traditions to come and merge with what we regard as our own. Cultural heritage is not located in space but in time, it is a concept, not a definition and its expression is in perpetuity. Design is a cultural heritage and if we manage to start it in this part of the earth, it will have a reference here.

In terms of provisions and means, what I say to those who attend either the seminars at Sealed Earth or my class at ASFA, is that tools and equipment are expendable. It is the thought that will advance the design to the next step. I'm one of those people who started with basic tools like a rapidograph, ruler and lathe, and I'm now at the point of working in VR environments and with 3D printers.

Niklas, 2022, VR Designed 3D Printed Colored Porcelain

A. Vazakas: In a country like Greece that has a small industrial production, these technologies are a “Deus ex machina” for designers. They could give a significant boost to domestic design as they can -to a certain extent- detach design from the factory. In this effort, the contribution of maker spaces or fab labs is important since they allow everyone to familiarise themselves with the specific technologies, both at the hardware and software level.

Multi Seating, 2015 | Professor: A. Vazakas, Student team: M. Amargianitaki, A. Tziasiou, M. Penthroudakis, M. Szabala for the class “Associative Design 1”

Do you think that digital design threatens the role of the designer? Are there distinct boundaries between computer and designer, and how do you see this relationship evolving in the future?

Niklas: The academic view is that "the designer's role is to provide answers to the questions presented to him". At the same time, the opinion I have formed over the years is that a required characteristic of the designer is to offer interpretations to questions that are not yet fully formed. Under these considerations, the designer's role is not threatened by any tool or manufacturing process. In the beginnings of the post-industrial age that we are in, everyone's choice to define their relationship with digital technology also defines them as designers.

Lately, I have been particularly concerned with the boundaries between digital and physical space, especially when designing within a VR environment. I am somehow fascinated by this idea:

The natural intuitive movement of the hand shapes immaterial volumes within a digital environment, which is carried out point by point, almost exclusively, in the designer's head. Then, the result of this process-thought-creation materializes (almost emerges) on the base of the 3D printer, where an organic material, such as porcelain or clay, is prepared, manifested, and finished by hand. In this constant conceptual alternation, between spotting the intervention of the designer and that of the "computer", the boundaries become so blurred that they are hardly distinguishable. In short, tools are an extension of every creative person's mind and act as their fingertips. Lambros Malafouris has written a very interesting article entitled "At the Potter's Wheel: An Argument for Material Agency". I'll leave you with the prompt to read it.

Niklas, 2022, VR Designed 3D Printed Porcelain

A. Vazakas: In no way is the role of the designer threatened. As I said before, digital fabrication liberates design. Every new technology has only things to offer and is an additional tool in our hands. Designers have embraced these technologies and very often we see them using code (programming), either to generate forms or to adapt tools to the specific requirements of a project. Also, very often we see cases where hardware tools are adapted, either for prototyping purposes or for normal product production.

Children’s Seat, 2015 | Professor: A. Vazakas, Student team: Y. Liofagos, S. Passos, R. Boulouri, A. Stamati