Arthur Derksen

Watching machine learning continue to gain ubiquity and seep into every computational crack of society has me comparing these systems to religion. For this installation, I took the idea further by training a language model on ancient religious texts so that it could then form its own prophetic phrases. I built a physical system which would then dynamically render these generated words on a non-light-emitting display that is enshrined with a monolithic earth object. The system detects the presence of a participant using an ultrasonic sensor, triggering the display to show a new text.

This is a collection of technological translations of a handmade artifact. The original clay pot was scanned with photogrammetry as a way to virtualize it and create a starting point for reimagining the way in which its objecthood could be interpreted. The first translation is via a methodology developed to re-build it in clay voxels. The vessel is also replicated through additive digital fabrication in the form of a clay extrusion as well as a finer scale plastic extrusion. To reimagine it further, a web hosted vessel exists. This vessel which can be experienced through augmented reality by scanning the QR code on a small clay obelisk. The digital object can also be viewed as a computer generated render which is displayed on a small lcd screen. The data for the digital mesh is also available to be explored through a physical book which contains all the vertex information from the virtual object.

This 3d printed planter is designed as a two part system which seamlessly integrates the snap on drainage tray with the form of the piece.

↝link to model

wearable artifact modeled in blender and 3d printed in sterling silver

Explore tiny worlds.

custom ring featuring the wearers birth year; parametric design updatable for any combination of finger size and 4 digit year

Using photogrammetry, I captured the body of local trees. I then translated the virtual meshes back into physical objects by printing them in the form of hollow clay vessels.

As a natural progression of my existing physical / virtual art making practice, I venture to explore the augmentations and restrictions of creating sculpture while entirely immersed in a virtual space. My current fascination is with materializing these virtual meshes back into physical space using fdm printing in plastic.

hand-built ceramic vessel juxtaposes traditional pottery aesthetics with default manufacturing aesthetic as an icon of handmade and manufactured duality

I am consistently in awe with the capabilities of photogrammetry, especially the fidelity that can be accomplished using the accessible and pocketable cellphone camera. This project is my initial endeavor to create a scalable system to capture, share, and archive particularly ephemeral public environments.

↝link to project