Hasta La Ideas

A couple weeks ago, I was curious to read yet another article about the much-heralded 3D printer revolution, “Crystal Ball Gazing: Amazon and 3D Printing.” Only later did I realize that my skepticism from the outset betrayed my own confirmation bias that any remotely bibliocentric 3D printing story is based on the fallacious premise that ABS extruders will someday be as commonplace as inkjet printers. I happen to share TechCrunch columnist Jon Evans’ opinion that additive manufacturing will not reprise the rise of 2D printing:

3D printing is not just 2D printing with another dimension added on. Yes, the names are very similar, but their uses are not even remotely analogous. We may reasonably conclude, therefore, that 1) 3D printing will not recapitulate the history of 2D printing, 2) as soon as you make an argument along those lines you lose all credibility and look like an idiot.

Evans’ rant is a fair assessment to be sure, but it has little to do with the gist of the opinion piece, which postulated that Amazon is uniquely positioned to pioneer an on-demand 3D printing business model. VC Theodore F. di Stefano writes:

I’m not sure if Amazon would venture into manufacturing, but we do have a new industrial revolution on our hands today… Why would Amazon be interested in 3D printing? My guess that Amazon might be interested is because it is currently adding warehouses throughout the United States with a not-so-long-term goal of being able to offer same-day delivery to its customers. With warehouses strategically located throughout the country, it would be able to set up 3D printing facilities within them, thus making three-dimensional products (manufactured products) conveniently available to major population centers.

From the outset, di Stefano clearly states that he admires Amazon not for selling boatloads of books but for extending its business model to include virtually every consumer product imaginable, and for investing in physical infrastructure in kind, citing their network of warehouses as a viable spaces for local fabrication. Jeff Bezos’ billion-dollar idea, after all, has far surpassed its original domain of books, and as a web company that deals in physical inventory, Amazon’s economy of scale marks a unique opportunity for distributing 3D-printed white label products… assuming, of course, it’s profitable. This, of course, is di Stefano’s hypothesis, where Amazon is less a bastion for publishing (2D or three) and more a massive online marketplace.

And to bring the argument full circle, design veteran Kevin Quigley actually made a similar point in an excellent essay contra blind optimism regarding 3D printing for the masses (which I’ve referred to before). Quigley recapitulates a personal history of digital fabrication to arrive at the conclusion that 3D printing will never be efficient (read: inexpensive) enough to come anywhere near the adoption rates of 2D printers. Rather, he speculates that the technology might be best suited for a megaretailer like IKEA… reaffirming di Stefano’s case for Amazon.

Yet Evans’ point stands: “…use cases, adoption rates, economic impact, etc., will be nothing like those of the 2D printers you know and love (or, more likely, hate). Yes, even though the names are so similar… please stop using that ridiculous and thoroughly inaccurate analogy.” In this sense, Amazon’s unmatched scale is precisely why it doesn’t make sense for them to pursue 3D printing, which is far more suited to small batches of niche or otherwise custom production runs. A far-reaching distribution network is not perquisite… rather, accessibility is paramount.

Which leads us back to Phillip Torrone’s suggestion that we ought to “rebuild and retool public libraries and make ‘TechShops,'” per the title of a March 2011 blogpost on Make. “To me, public libraries—the availability of free education for all—represent the collective commitment of a community to their future… a commitment to educating the next generation. [As such,] the role of a public library should also adapt over time, and that time is finally here.” While reality has been slow to catch on—Make subsequently noted that Cleveland listened, as did Reno; we recently reported on Adelaide following suit—it’s worth reading, as Torrone certainly makes a very thorough argument for repurposing the public stronghold of the printed word.

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Text by Rachel Carvosso; images courtesy of Yusuke Yamamoto

Tucked away in the Architecture section, I discovered Yusuke Yamamoto and his “Moveable Movie Theater” project. Yamamoto, an architect, started this independent project after volunteering in the area ravaged by the earthquake and tsunami last year. Yamamoto told me many survivors he came across would express the simple desire to go see a movie—impossible to do when all the movie theaters in the region have been destroyed. While discussing the revitalization of the region’s film industry with a professor of film at Tohoku University, Yamamoto came up with the design for his theater.

Current laws prohibit the building of certain permanent structures in the earthquake and tsunami ravaged region, but Yamamoto’s moveable movie theater turns the problem into a design feature. The theater’s rectangular structure is designed to allow easy transportation on one truck, with each level sitting within each other, like a Russian doll. Stretching out like an accordion when in use, the design (currently in a prototype production phase) will feature wood sourced from the local region. The current design fits about 30 people inside, and also features bookshelves along the sides, to double as a movable library.

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Text by Rachel Carvosso; photos by Junya Hirokawa

Through a solid three years of experimentation and tinkering, Yusuke Hayashi and Yoko Yasunishi of Drill Design have arrived at “Paper-Wood” which is now sold as a material used by a range of different designers and companies to make everyday objects (furniture, stationary, garden and kitchen utensils).

According to Yoko, the initial combination they came up with used acrylic and wood but the latest series (four and five) use paper and basswood. Since the colors aren’t painted on, the material always retains its bright colors, even when it wears down. When I asked what kind of paper they use, I was quietly told it’s a ‘company secret.’

“…the first two years we experimented in workshops to find out what materials, colors and combinations worked best… we wanted to explore the concept of adding things to wood to make new kinds of ‘layer cake’ materials,” explains Yoko. Look closely at a slice of Paper-Wood and you can clearly see the “layer cake” she’s talking about—each layer alternates between, well, paper and wood.

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Top: New York City myThread Installation by Jenny Sabin.
Bottom: Beijing Design Week Feather Pavilion by Arthur Huang

Coming off the success of their Flyknit collection, Nike has launched the Nike Flyknit Collective: an architectural initiative challenging a curated group of designers, artists and architects to create installations based on the core features of the collection—performance, lightness, formfitting and sustainability.

We had an opportunity to see 2 of the installations in person over the past few weeks and although the installations were quite different, it was interesting to follow the path of practitioners separated by geography and disciplines as they explored the way that yarn can be employed to create engaging structural experiences.

Jenny Sabin installing the myThread Pavilion

Philadelphia-based architectural designer Jenny Sabin‘s work explores the intersection of architecture, biology, craft, technology and generative design.

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Extract Daybed, Woolen Textiles from Bute

Recent Beijing transplant Henny van Nistelrooy presented a selection of his textile work at this year’s Beijing Design Week. Exploring the intersection of craft and industry van Nistelrooy’s work centers on the process of creating (and deconstructing) textiles. Although he studied Industrial Design, the Dutch designer found himself drawn to textile design—first learning on the hand loom and later working with an industrial weaving process.

Fabricate 1 Lampshade

On display is van Nistelrooy’s screen and daybed he created with the Scottish textile brand Bute, as well as an interesting lamp shade that challenges the idea of mass-production. Using computer-generated design and industrial weaving, he created bolts of lamp shades that are then hand-assembled into pendant lighting.

The push and pull of the design poles of craft and industry continue to enchant designers young and old. This year’s Beijing Design Week theme of “Craft” invited Chinese designers to delve into the cultural history of object design in the country while taking advantage of the manufacturing prowess of China today. Although we didn’t see a wide-reaching rigor in the design practice on exhibit, it was great to get a glance into future possibilities for design in China.

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