As much as I generally appreciate his work and his take on art (“it should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”), when I happen to see it, I don’t really know much about the artist known as Bansky. So, when 3DPI’s editor, Mike, sent me a Kickstarter campaign to 3D print 3D versions of his works, I looked him up. One interesting thing I found out immediately is that he was inspired by “3D”, as in the name of the graffiti artist who later went on to found Massive Attack. In that way, I suppose, turning his 2D drawings into 3D work seems like a logical step.
I also initially thought that Bansky might not appreciate the fact that his politically involved and controversial work has become a commercial product, but I was probably wrong. Many of Bansky’s works are regularly auctioned and have been sold for several thousand pounds. His latest masterpiece, the Dismaland Bemusement Park, collected over £2 million in just five weeks.
Like any true artist, Bansky’s primary desire seems to be that his art is seen by as many people as possible and making it available through 3D printing should be in line with this objective. Render3DArt, the startup behind this Kickstarter campaign, say that their own artistic vision is to be able to fuse art with technology to create 3D objects from renderings of 2D art, something that has only recently become possible through 3D printing.
The goal of funding their campaign is to turn many more 2D artworks in 3D art pieces. Bansky is only the first of many more artists to be featured, chosen for his mission to take thought-provoking art into places where it should not be.
The collection includes a few works that are particularly famous and, in some cases, have been removed form the walls they had been painted on, for example, the above piece that features John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, holding bananas instead of guns. In general, the designs chosen are not among the most controversial. The Injured Buddha, the Mona Lisa holding a bazooka on the Union Jack, the rat wearing an I Love NY t-shirt, the monkey holding a sign which announces the species’ future dominance, or the “Flower Chucker” send positive or ironic messages and could comfortably sit on just about any desktop.
At the same time, they are targeted at a niche audience of art and technology lovers. which is why this project is only possible through 3D printing and crowdfunding. The Kickstarter campaign lets you order one 3D printed figurine for $45, two for $85 or four for $160. The figurines are 3D printed in full color sandstone packs. As it stands right now, the goal is still far from being achieved, with less than $700 collected out of a $10,000 goal. One objective, though, that they have already reached is getting me – and you who have read this far – to learn more about Bansky’s art.
