Luminance
A new language of lighting fixtures combine textiles and polymer in 3D printing
2021
In collaboration with stratasys Ltd.
The project aims to create a new language of lighting fixtures that emphasize innovation, Three-dimensionality, and unique aesthetics while preserving the raw qualities of each material.
The lighting fixtures celebrate a relationship of contrast - soft versus hard, constructive versus flexibility, 3D versus 2D, and especially the advanced printing technology combined with simple and familiar textiles.
Project made in collaboration with stratasys Ltd. A company that manufactures and markets 3D printers, a leader in the development of 3D printers based on an advanced technology called POLYJET.
The project deals with a relationship between two materials, with the ultimate goal being to create added value that exists only thanks to this combination. Since each material has unique properties, I wanted to maintain its personal identity and be able to contribute its existing qualities to the total of the object created.
A relationship based on the value of contrast is the principle I chose to focus on in the work process.
Material contrast is expressed on two levels, one, the conceptual perception that includes a difference between our expectations of the material itself compared to the object obtained. And the second is a practical concept with contrasting properties such as volume versus flat, constructiveness versus flexibility, opacity versus transparency, etc.
For the role of the soft material in this relationship, I chose textiles. I have made various attempts to understand how I manage to extract from it its uniqueness. During this interrogation, I discovered the contrast I was looking for when I heated the textile to a melting level which caused the fibers to harden and become a hard polymer. From this, I deduced that the two materials I would work with would be elastic textiles combined with a hard polymer.
I tried different options in search of the way to connect these two materials, by default I chose to make the initial attempts at manual connections and as I continued to work I came to understand that using 3D printing technology can be the right way for connecting materials. I began to get to know the world of 3D printing so I can specialize in this technology.
3D printing on textiles is an evolving field in the industry and is subject to various interpretations and expressions, whether it is printing a textile look, imitating textiles from a hard material, or printing a hard polymer on textiles for the purpose of creating an innovative texture. The use of this technology in the textile combination often exists in the field of fashion.
The initial attempts were printed on my home printer that works with FDM technology, a printing technology based on wire from a thermoplastic material that is melted and solidified again into a designed configuration. I built a dedicated surface for printing on the textile that at the time of printing the polymer is melted and adhered to it.
