Printing out the furniture of the future : Artist Joris Laarman creates cutting-edge designs with new tech
However, this doesn’t seem to be a problem for artist Joris Laarman, who experiments with 3-D printing to design and create furniture. The 3-D printing apparatus that Laarman uses was invented in his lab and combines robotic arm and welding technologies.
At “Joris Laarman Lab: Gradients,” the artist’s second solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul, Laarman presents works spanning four years of cutting-edge experimentation with 3-D printing at his Amsterdam-based studio.
The exhibit, which runs until June 17, consists of the works from the Lab’s recent collections, including “Microstructures” (2014-2015), “Dragon” (2014), “Maker” (2014) and “Gradient Screen” (2017).
In the “Microstructures” series, which is based on 3-D gradient patterning, there are three chairs and a gradient lounge. Each chair is made up of cells that differ in form, size and function. The “Microstructures Gradient Lounge” (2015) is made up of copper- and nickel-plated 3-D printed polyamide.
The “Microstructures Gradient Soft Chair” (2014) is printed with thermoplastic polyurethane, which is a flexible 3-D printed material. The other piece, the “Microstructures Gradient Aluminum Chair” (2014) gives off a futuristic impression with its silver surface.
The “Dragon Bench” (2014) located in the middle of the first floor was made out of stainless steel. According to Laarman, “[Creating this piece] felt like finding a new continent when nothing was discovered.” By using a printed lines matrix, Laarman was able to create numerous curves on this bench, each differing in size. As seen in his other artworks, the spontaneity and unexpected forms are smoothly incorporated into the design.
Currently, these dragon benches are in museum collections all over the world, but still they serve as a conceptual framework for much larger architecture and infrastructure projects, such as the Lab’s first 3-D printed stainless bridge. Before working on the pedestrian bridge, which will be completed later this year, Laarman produced each piece in his lab. As an artist who enjoys pushing the boundaries of technology, he constantly finds new aesthetics that interest him, but this is a technical challenge for him as well.
Laarman emphasizes the importance of this new technology and stresses that “if this was possible, [then] we could make infinitely larger things.”
BY LEE JEONG-HYUN [lee.jeonghyun@joongang.co.kr]
This exhibition runs until June 17. Admission is free. Go to Anguk Station (exit 1) and walk 10 to 15 minutes up Samcheong-dong street. For more information, call (02) 735-8449 or visit www.kukjegallery.com
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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