Trevor Gould

Three Dimensional Blur with Digital Wind and Accessories

The Foundation supported the prototyping of Trevor Gould’s new work, Three Dimensional Blur with Digital Wind and Accessories. This experimental project aimed to develop existing mould-making materials enhanced through digital manipulations in 3-D printing and through muscle wire manipulations. The project also reflected on what constitutes a human figure when this figure is reproduced as blurred movement arrested in 3-D space.

In his work, Trevor Gould regards sculpture as a form of social material and exhibition as a form of cultural research. Using digital interfaces such as 3-D rapid prototyping has expanded his present work methods. This technology helped him explore new ways of creating through innovative means of interpreting space and producing figures.

Rapid prototyping refers to technologies that can automatically assemble physical models from the data of computer-aided design. These techniques allow users to rapidly create tangible prototypes of their designs, rather than just 2-D pictures. Rapid prototyping is an additive process: it builds parts by combining layers of material such as paper, wax or plastic to create a solid object. This contrasts with traditional machining techniques (milling, drilling, grinding) that use a subtractive process to remove material from a solid block. Some existing rapid prototyping methods are SL (stereolithography), SLS (selective laser sintering) and LOM (laminated object manufacturing).

In his project, Trevor Gould collaborated with an electronic technician to further develop 3-D blur by combining the capabilities of rapid prototyping technologies. He explored a new genre of form and function through prototyping and animatronics. The work exploits the sensation of wind. Actual wind has been used as a live signal to activate motion muscle wires and simulate the movement of branches. Thanks to the prototyping technology, the recorded visual distortion of movement results in a 3-D figurative form. The project’s end result: an installation of life-size figurative forms and the reproduction of a tree with digital accessories. The narrative of the figurative forms questions the relationships between landscape and identity.