(MINING)

UNFOLD – Clay Automaton Lab

In September 2018, one of the largest archaeological collections in history was destroyed by fire. No less than 90% of the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) went up in smoke. Fortunately, researchers at the museum had taken hundreds of scans of the artefacts in the years preceding the fire. These scans, which were primarily intended to be used for research, are now the only remaining links to a once rich collection.

It's thereby no coincidence that Design Studio Unfold recently launched a multi-annual research project entitled Atlas of Lost Finds. Joining forces with other researchers, designers and creators, it is investigating how 3D scans and other digital data can be used in a meaningful way. Its website lostfinds.org provides digital access to several different cases. On the one hand, it challenges artists and designers to make use of digital data obtained from scans, while, on the other, it stimulates an interesting discussion on how the items could serve as a starting point for new narratives about ownership, inclusion, tradition and knowledge. An initial opening gambit with a pre-Columbian horseshoe bottle as a model resulted in a collection of 30 special bottles created by artists across the world. And many more scans are waiting to be injected with a new life.

On the occasion of the Design Fest Gent, Unfold and KASK are joining forces for a study into scaling up their 3D printers. In order to be able to recreate Marajoara ceramics- which are often impressively large - on the basis of the 3D scans, a larger machine will have to be built. KASK is making its robot arm available, Unfold its expertise. During Design Fest Gent, Unfold will set up a laboratory in the Design Museum, where various experiments will be conducted with the robot-arm clay printer. Witness some of the first attempts to print a Marajoara urn.