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2. Digital bodies

Researching Bodies Through Hip Hop

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"Mike check, one, two, one, two". Hip Hop and you don't stop!!! I love hip hop and when thinking about this assignment and human form... I thought this would be right up my alley. I can remember vividly many many moons ago in middle school. I had a girl's hip hop group called the Lady Rockers. My hip hop name was Miss Wave:).

The orgins of hip hop started in the South Bronx during the 1970s, when Black and Latino youth used creativity as a response to systemic challenges such as neglect, poverty, and disinvestment. Built on DJing, MCing, graffiti art, and breakdancing, hip hop was both a cultural movement and a survival strategy." Credit... Rockstar Academy

The human body was central to this movement in many ways. Breakdancing exemplified physical mastery, transforming strength, balance, and rhythm into narrative performance. Rapping used the body’s most fundamental instrument — the voice — where breath control, cadence, and articulation created rhythm. Even DJing relied on the body’s dexterity, as hands controlled turntables to manipulate sound. Graffiti, while visual, was equally physical: arm spans, hand gestures, and stamina produced murals that became cultural landmarks. Credit... Rockstar Academy

Researching Bodies Through Hip Hop Dance

"Such dances that showcase the human body like the Dougie and MC Hammer running man. The Dougie (2010s) – shoulders, arms, and a smooth sway; emphasizes relaxed body control, personality, and swagger. The Dougie became a viral movement, showing how casual gestures can become cultural symbols. The MC Hammer Dance (1990s) – wide-legged running-in-place with exaggerated arm swings. This high-energy move reflected endurance, stamina, and showmanship. It also emphasized spectacle — how the body could fill a stage with charisma.."

  • Two images side-by-side... Credit GIPHY

Credit GIPHY Credit GIPHY


  • Human Bodies Poses

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Links to reference files, PDF, booklets,

about your images..

  1. Remember to credit/reference all your images to their authors. Open source helps us create change faster together, but we all deserve recognition for what we make, design, think, develop.

  2. remember to resize and optimize all your images. You will run out of space and the more data, the more servers, the more cooling systems and energy wasted :) make a choice at every image :) This image is optimised in size with resolution 72 and passed through tinypng for final optimisation.

Tools Used

My thought process!!!

Issues with MakeHuman ... I was unable to download MakeHuman? I do have a MAC and was not sure why the error existed. There were other class members that were encountering the exact same issues. I will continue to work on this progress:).

Error message from MakeHuman

Step 1. Obtain 3D Model

My 3d model 1 was obtained in Thingiverse. Thingiverse is an online platform and community for 3D printing, serving as a vast library of free digital 3D model files that users can download, print, modify, and share. The file that I had chosen is called wire woman dance pose. It reminds me of a cool hip hop move.

Step 2. Document the process of repairing and/or manipulating a 3D mesh and slicing it

I originally tried to use Blender for manipulating the 3D mesh but after hours of reviewing and trying out different methods, I used Meshmixer. Meshmixer is a free, powerful 3D mesh editing and sculpting software from Autodesk that is widely used for preparing and editing existing 3D models for 3D printing. The learning curve was a little easier for me:).

This is the original download in Meshmixer

Once the file was download, I scan to see if it needed any repairs. There were over 100 areas that needed attention. In Meshmixer, I clicked analysis, then to inspector, hole fill and repair all.

Upon completion, I only wanted to capture the legs of the model. Therefore, I cut the legs in Meshmixer under edit and then plane cut. I had to rotate the 3D figure from the bottom to complete this.

This process was okay but still want to try and fill in more holes in the 3D mesh. I save the file as a .stl and uploaded it in Slicer Fusion 360.

Step 3. Document the process of file preparation for laser cutting

I used Slicer Fusion 360 to prepare for laser cutting. Slicer is the free, standalone Slicer for Fusion 360 application that converts 3D models into 2D plans for laser cutters. After imported the model in Slicer, it would take 2 sheets to laser cut the image. Upon looking at the image, there were a lot blue vs gray which I was not able to use.

Back to the drawing board:()

Step 1: Use Printables to download a 3D File. The file that I have chosen is called geometric hip hop dance. Printables is an online platform that serves as a comprehensive database for free and paid 3D printable models for 3D printing.

Step 2: I continued to use Meshmixer and scan and fix the file for any repairs. Afterwards, I slice the legs.

Step 3: Next, the file was uploaded in Slicer Fusion 360 to set up for laser cutting.

This model 1 was obtained by..

The laser cut nesting 2 was created using Epilog Legend Laser Engraver-Helix 24. The engraving area is 24" x 18" with CO2 waveguide laser tubes.

Fabrication files

  1. File: 3d modelling of mannequin  ↩↩

  2. File: Laser cut sheets ↩