2. Digital bodies#

Research#

For my personal taste, the representations and installations of humane bodies do not like me. Not in the modern form to which it is generally associated.

The alienation and alteration of the body troubles me. Considering that this emotion is perhaps what these works would like to arouse, I would say that the work of many is well done, but I have a romantic and melancholic attraction to what is simply beautiful.

I consider the sculptures of male and female Greco-Roman marble bodies to be of unprecedented grace and elegance, as well as posterity.

The ability to use materials such as marble to reproduce harmonic movements, sinuous curves and human emotions I consider it an art form par excellence.

This for me is the true form of art, the ability to communicate something intrinsic and rich in meaning with a single gesture.

This modern installation is called LOVE by the artist Aleksandr Milov who represents the total lack of communication.

I consider it GENIAL!

The bodies of two adults who are closed in on themselves who give to each other their backs, are bound only by real emotions, those that arise from instinct, from the most intimate part of ourself, from the most childish part that still manages to be true.

An apparently fragile part on which, by growing, we build on ourself an iron armor. What protects us takes us away and isolates. Our personal castle with the young and beautiful princess imprisoned.

This visceral and profound interpretation has the ability to reach even the most distracted and superficial eye. This is ART.

Scolpire, modellare e assemblare come operazioni necessarie fondamentali nella pratica della scultura per creare un oggetto tridimensionale che voglia esprimere qualcosa, che sappia emozionare chi lo guarda. In marmo, pietra, legno, avorio, sono molti materiali utilizzati come diverse sono le tecniche sviluppate a partire dai tempi antichi fino ai tempi moderni dove la figura dello scultore è colui che crea il progetto mentre la realizzazione viene affidata ad artigiani capaci soltanto di eseguire l’opera secondo precise direttive.

Un mondo a parte e che sta emergendo è anche quello realizzato con macchine a controllo numerico in grado di realizzare forme dal design unico.

Ron Mueck is another artist who became famous for this type of communication and representation.

Peter Demez brings up very timely situations with wooden statues carved to the smallest detail and wearing quilts and work bags.

Lesson 2#

During the lesson with Franceso Perego we scanned an object with Skanect and worked in meshmixer to create the clean file in stl format.

files#

On Sketchfab it will be possible to find the the scanned object and maniquin.

>> Video scanning dimostartion

object scanning in Skanect

It was not possible later to use the same technology to scan our body because the skanect is not compatible with our operating system. Given the work commitments, the limited time available and not having at the time someone who could lend us a Mac, with my colleague, we decided to work on the maniquin model in slicer for fusion360.

We postpone the scanning of our body in the time left after the project has been carried out to ensure we complete the assignment successfully.

Before moving to Slicer I decided to download the meshlab program that I thought was very similar to meshmixer, and follow tutorials. I tried to correct the maniquin file through the filters, but then I opted to switch to meshmixer following the working method I had followed during the lesson.

In slicer I created my layered mannequin, in the meantime I have looked for if there were available applications that can scan directly with the phone. The result of the small research and also asking the fablab the applications found are as follows:

THE SLICER MODEL#

Imported the file on slicer I chose the model to be developed.

At the beginning I tried to experiment with bias cuts and moving the center creating a void at a point in the figure. Afterwards, thinking that the methods and models available had already been developed without giving me the opportunity to personalize it, I opted for a simple model focusing on the concept of the tailor’s maniquin.

The idea was to create a maniquin that had crucial points highlighted as the circumferences and that gave way to increase the volume by changing the size and meausuring.

The circumference of the hip, waist, bust, chest and neck are layers cut into plexiglass. In the points such as the front, bust and back the layers are thicker.

According to the model I chose, however, I could only see later that the horizontal layers are applied by inserting the side and not the front, this does not increase the volume as I thought if you do not remove the layers of cardboard on the side and reinsert them in the next position .

Furthermore, by printing the material I understood that the distance between a horizontal layer and the other is too small. This required a change on the pieces representing the circumferences. Eliminate layers and increase the distance between one layer and another, or eliminate the distnaze and create an unique one in which to insert all the layers giving the possibility to move them also outwards without having to remove them and put them to the side in different spaces.

files#

laser cut of the mannequin on 6 mm paper

Yutube video#

Other on instagram

Kinect e Skanect#

The scan of our body was done later. At the moment the file in Skanect appeared to be of good quality but once imported into Meshmixer the file presented itself full of holes and poorly defined in general shapes.

It was very difficult to change the mesh. With the help of several tutorials and manipulating the object with the different sculpt tools I managed to modify the mesh but it is still very inaccurate and with some holes.

However, I am satisfied with the knowledge I have gained by trying to work on my model. i learned to use Kinect, Meshmixer, slicer and editing video. What I also understood is that during the scan it is important to revise several times especially in places where the body bends, in the cracks and pass the scanner even under the body in points that are not visible with a horizontal view.

With kinect is necessary to be in a dark envoirment.