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22 January 2014

Laser-Sintered Wearable Art on the Catwalk

The first piece of wearable art designed by Chicago-based Joshua Harker, a long-time proponent of 3D printed art and sculpture, made its debut on the catwalk at last November's 3D Printshow, held at the Business Design Centre, London, and Carrousel Du Louvre, Paris.

The headdress, which consists of a variety of interwoven and suspended components, pays homage to traditional ceremonial headdresses of native American and African tribes. It was laser-sintered from plastic powder in an EOSINT P 760 additive manufacturing (AM) system.
Harker dedicated over 100 hours to its design, after which EOS printed the piece in less than 26 hours. The artist also presented a 2,000-piece item of kinetic sculpture manufactured using EOS AM technology and displayed other items from his creative portfolio at the shows.

He said, “I have used EOS’ technology extensively in my art because I have to. It’s one of the very few that allows me to produce my creations without problems of clean-up, rigid support and other technicalities after the build is finished. “It helps me to do what I do without being burdened by manufacturing considerations.”

Harker identifies himself as an artist trying to push the boundaries of 3D printing. His portfolio is full of complex designs and intricate geometries, many of which could only be manufactured through AM. He believes that others in both the art and fashion industries will soon realise the capabilities of 3D printing and begin to take advantage of them.

He continued, “3D printing is a process that allows you to create things that can’t be done any other way.

"Whether it's fashion or art or anything, really, when you’re imagining things and the constraints of what you can make are gone, it changes a lot of things. Designers are really going to have a lot of powerful new avenues to explore with this technology.”

3D Printshow will be in New York from 13th to 15th February 2014. In addition to the fashion show, there will be exhibits and presentations focused on medical, architectural, educational and other applications of 3D printing.
 


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