From Peter Patchen’s studio in Brooklyn, forms blend into new haunting 3D prints evoking multiple meanings and purposes of raptors. Birds of prey and military aircraft inspired the artwork titled “Migration”. The three-year project echoes motifs found in Patchen’s varied mixed-media installations. As one browses through the objects in Patchen’s “Migration”, the figures take on a narrative.
With a first glance, the artwork in focus appears as artifact, something from another culture, of another time. The smaller images in the background embody, possibly due to the juxtaposition with the foreground, a whimsical murder of crows. Clicking through the images titled by the fighter planes that bore their inspiration creates a jarring realisation. These birds of prey are forms of our own “death from above” looming in poses of flight with talons instead of wheels.
Their construction combines 3D printing, metal finishing and patina. Patchen uses ABS filament for the 3D prints and covers them with iron or bronze. Maya software serves as the canvas for the art. The final aesthetic touch, the patina, manifests the rusted look. The work becomes decay and used, a relic of time, contrasted with the hybrid forms of birds with military fighters and bombers. While inspiring and a powerful display of artistic potential with 3D printing, the art is hauntingly beautiful and a startling reminder of our birds of prey. Migration is the journey from nature to what human nature and technology may wrought.
Source: PeterPatchen.com
