ABSTRACT
The design studio Unfold has developed an installation called "L'Artisan Electronique" for the exhibition Design by Performance in the Z33 House for contemporary art in Hasselt, Belgium. L'Artisan Electronique consists of a long table set in a big white room. On one side of the table there is a chair. When you sit on it, there is an empty potter's wheel and a green laser in front of you. Behind this you see the projection of revolving cylinder. On the other side of the table, a self-modified RepRap machine transforms the virtual design into matter. Thin rolls of clay are layered on a plateau that moves downward. This technique is called "3D printing," also known as Rapid Prototyping or Rapid Manufacturing. Unfold believe that relationships between amateurs and professionals, between consumers and designers, are bound to shift. They believe that open source, open hardware and open design are developments that will drive social, economic and ecological change in this context.
