Zurich based designer duo, Drzach & Suchy have developed a novel way of using 3D printing to create shadow casting panels for a collection of unique artwork.
Consisting of Drzach, an architect who combines art and design, and Suchy, a cryptographer and a software engineer who experiments with holograms, various techniques and materials, their striking visuals use the technique of shadow casting panels (SCP), invented by Drzach himself in 2004 which stores multiple images in one physical object, brought to life in different lighting environments.
Even Google has taken a liking to them and installed one of their pieces made up of over 16,000 LEGO bricks in its Zurich office. ‘The Force’ uses light to present a two different images to the spectator. When the light hits one side, you will notice Yoda peering through whereas on the other, Darth Vader will appear.
'The Force' art installation at Google Zurich.
But as you can imagine, assembling 16,000 LEGO pieces can be a rather time consuming task and this piece in particular took a total of 10 hours to complete. Step in, 3D printing.
Drzach & Suchy turned to 3D modelling software and i.materialise’s 3D printing service to create a vibrant and stunning new piece of art: the “Got M?” project.
Drzach and Suchy, explained; “Previously, we made a prototype of a colourful SCP, but we had to assemble it manually, pixel-by-pixel, as 3D printing with coloured transparent materials was not feasible. Now that more materials are available for 3D printing, we wanted to give it a try.”
3D printed coloured panels by i.materialise.
In order achieve accurate results, Drzach & Suchy first had to create a 3D model that corresponded to each layer of their colour requirements. They used the SketchUp Ruby API to develop the 3D design since it allows for quick scripting and prototyping.
They then sent their files to i.materialise for 3D printing in transparent resin. After receiving the parts in different colours, the designer duo simply had to place them on top of each other to complete their art project. Take a look at who’s behind this 3D print …
'Got M?' - Kermit and Miss Piggy 3D printed shadow casting panels.
To see more from Drzach & Suchy’s projects, head over to the Materialise blog or visit their website and YouTube channel.
