The purpose of Google’s DevArt exhibit is to feature art created with code by developers using technology as their canvas. Artist Karsten Schmidt designed Co(de)Factory as an installation that allows visitors to help design and print art using a 3D printer.
The installation itself is an open source stereolithography 3D printer with a large ornate 3D printed structure surrounding it. The 3D printer is encircled by tablets, which allow visitors to interact directly with the piece. The structure on its own is pretty spectacular, and was 3D printed and assembled on site.
Visitors are encouraged to interact with the exhibit using custom developed 3D modelling tools to create their own designs, or work with other visitors to form collaborative designs. The collaboration can happen in the museum itself or people at home will be able to log into the modelling tools via the Internet. Here’s a video of the artist talking about his inspiration for the piece:
“What is art and how it is created. Authorship is actually not that important, it is the outcomes which count.” Explains Schmidt “Being able to actually watch something emerge out of nothingness rather than just be presented with the final object, we are able to show the entire process from beginning to end.”
Each day one of the submitted designs will be selected to be 3D printed in liquid photosensitive resin while museum attendees view the exhibit. The 3D printed design will eventually become a permanent part of the installation, resulting in an installation of crowd sourced 3D printed objects created by previous exhibit attendees.
Googles DevArt installation – including Co(de)Factory – is on display at the Barbican Centre in London until September 14th. Take a look at the DevArt launch video:
Schmidt shares the exhibit space with three other talented artists using code and technology to create spectacular interactive art. For more information about Co(de)Factory you can visit the DevArt website here, and if you’d like to learn how to submit your own code art to the project you can go here.
