A Digital Fabrication Exhibition | Joris Laarman

Joris Laarman Lab: Bits and Craft is an exhibit held at the Friedman Brenda Gallery created by Dutch designer Joris Laarman which revolves around the interactive uses and space of installations, technology, and digital fabrication. The use of innovative technological tools such as the use of 3D printing and CNC mill allowed for the flexibility to design multiple configurations of shapes that were then woven into complex structural components. This design involved combining artistry skills with technology. The exhibit focuses on four main design strategies, the concept of making; “ maker furniture, micro structures, vortex, and the spirographic series”.

Courtesy of © Joris Laarman

The concept of digital applications today provides a new outlet for different applications in the field of design and how we choose to manufacture, recycle or widely distributer specific products. Joris Brenda Freeman states that “digital technology is now starting to define an evolution in the way we design, manufacture, distribute, protect, and even recycle physical products.”

Courtesy of © Joris Laarman

Laarman also states that,“the realm of digital design tools and digital fabrication is shifting our notion of design and pushing artists to explore the endless new possibilities of the digital revolution. I believe in the symbiosis of handcraft and technology such as parametric design tools and digital fabrication,’

Courtesy of © Joris Laarman

The four exhibited zones are purely constructed with parametric pieces that were designed to easily be placed together. It also incorporated a ranges of materials such as the use of plastic or metal in order to create definite and complex geometric forms. The use of digital algorithms facilitated the construction of the installation and emphasized qualities of ornamentation as well as the functional aspects of the overall structure.