Story: | Photo: Cody Ingram
An art professor at the baby直播 will have 3D sculptures featured in a national juried exhibition.
Nick Davis has three DIY sculpture kits in the 鈥淪ynthesis: Digital Craft鈥� exhibition, which will be on display at the Floyd Center for the Arts in Virginia this summer. The exhibition spotlights merging digital processes and craft in today鈥檚 world.
鈥淭he Floyd Center for the Arts show was definitely one I wanted to get into because it explores how craft and technology merge,鈥� noted Davis. 鈥淚n years past, 鈥榗raft鈥� was synonymous with homemade, and people equated the artist鈥檚 hands making the product. Today, technology plays an integral part in the creative process.鈥�
Drawing inspiration from classic toys like jacks, tinker toys, and even carbon molecules, Davis crafts the pieces for his DIY sculpture kits using Blender, a 3D modeling and animation software program he also utilizes for teaching animation on campus. The completed design is then exported to another program, sliced into thin layers, and sent to a 3D printer for fabrication.
His do-it-yourself kits, known as modular sculptures 鈥攁 work of art that can be moved, separated, and recombined 鈥攁re part of a conceptual art project he calls the 鈥楽chool of Poetic Living,鈥� a school of thought designed to encourage creativity and promote imagination. Davis envisions creating individual sculpture kits in various sizes, shapes, and colors, which he could sell commercially, but not before he has produced enough pieces to create one large sculptural installation for his own enjoyment. 鈥淎 project,鈥� he says, 鈥渢hat won鈥檛 happen overnight.鈥�
Davis鈥檚 belief that anyone can be an artist, regardless of the medium, makes him a strong proponent for increased participation in art classes at UWA.
鈥淓very student has to select electives, but most don鈥檛 realize classes like drawing, painting, ceramics, and even animation are not only available, but they also have no prerequisites,鈥� he noted. 鈥淲e encourage anyone willing to try new things to register for one.鈥�