After weeks of design, simulation, and analysis through many methods of digital visualization, the exhibition becomes reality. And, though we know we anticipated and tested every detail, we were definitely taken aback at how much the realization felt like stepping into Maxwell and Illustrator files. (photography: Judith Daniels, MIT SA+P)
We are finalizing details for Incremental Change – an exhibition that opens at MIT’s Keller Gallery next week. We’ve designed the exhibition as a status report of the increasing global reach of AtFAB CNC Furniture downloads, and to make a case for the economic, environmental, and design potentials for distributed manufacturing. A video of our transformation applications, which change the dimension, shape, and/or module of each furniture object, will be projected alongside physical arrays of the objects that have been fabricated in a range of sizes, scales and materials. The show runs from April 18 to May 9.
Bill Young of ShopBot just took this video of his CNC router milling recessed pockets into the tabletop of our AtFAB side table. Soon, our MakerBot Replicator will be using the same digital files that drove Bill’s machine to 3D print the inlays that will fill the pockets. You can find more about our 21 pieces of AtFAB for MakerBot Industries here.
We brought AtFAB prototypes and models to the World Maker Faire in New York, and shared the story of design, parametric customization, and distributed CNC manufacturing. The Faire gave us the chance to field test the 90 Minute Lounge Chair with countless makers and visitors trying them out. We also presented AtFAB on the Maker Stage to make the case for new collaborations between designers and makers of all stripes.
Bill Young at ShopBot fabbed the full scale prototypes and has been collaborating with us on incorporating 3D printed parts into the furniture as both functional components and a new take on traditional marquetry. You can see our first efforts using parts cut by a ShopBot CNC and 3D objects printed with our MakerBot Replicators.
We returned from an incredible weekend in San Mateo where we exhibited AtFAB at the Bay Area Maker Faire that drew over 65,000 visitors. We exhibited luminous acrylic versions of our furniture pieces atop our “Faire editions” of the Cat in Bag iii and Rotational Tables, along with new AtFAB stools. We are grateful to our good friends at ShopBot and 100kGarages for their exquisite CNC milling of these full scale pieces.
The Atomic Cities Team has completed its final semester devoted to the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The three semester research investigation was capped off with a traveling exhibition that summarizes the team’s holistic proposals for remediating the PGDP site and defining steps toward a prosperous and important future for Paducah, KY. The exhibition will make several stops throughout Kentucky and will be shared with the public, professionals and academics, as well as leaders and policymakers. The team commissioned Magnus Lindqvist to photograph the exhibition opening at UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research, where it will spend Summer 2012 until it opens at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, KY. The project has recently been featured in the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management EM News, as well as on WPSD Local 6 News.
