PrintToPeer, 3D Hubs, and RepRap Warehouse are joining forces to create a new sculpture made up entirely of crowdsourced, 3D printed interlocking links. The concept is to create a living sculpture that can be linked together to form a tapestry.
Last year artist Jeff de Boer teamed up with Canada-based 3D printing software platform PrintToPeer to create the world’s first crowdsourced, collaborative, open-source, 3D-printed sculpture called “Linked”. The sculpture was made from more than 1,600 individual medallions that were mailed from dozens of countries. Participants simply needed to download the STL file of the medallion, customize it however they wanted, 3D print it and then mail it in to be assembled.
This year they are doing it again and hoping to create an even larger 3D printed tapestry than last year and there is time for you to be part of it. All you need to do is register on PrintToPeer and download the STL file for the link. Customize your link and then 3D print it in whatever colour or material that you want to use and mail it in. Entrants can mail in as many links as they would like, and if you’re a student in Edmonton who would like to participate, 3D Hubs user Colin Pischke will 3D print your link for you for free.
You need to ship the completed link before December 16th to:
RepRap Warehouse
11617 147 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
T5M 1W3
On December 17th RepRap Warehouse will be hosting a 3D printing and assembly party at the Stanley A. Milner Library. If you do not have access to a 3D printer and you are local then you are welcome to attend and have it printed on site. RepRap Warehouse encourages anyone who would like to attend and who owns a 3D printer to bring it with them to the event so they can help print out any wayward links that are needed to complete the sculpture.
RepRap Warehouse will also need volunteers to help assemble the expected 2,000 individual links. If you would like to attend the assembly party then you can register for this event here, and the assembly party is scheduled between 5-9 p.m. “Sculpture” will officially be unveiled on December 18th at the Stanley A. Milner Library.
