RE_FORMED
When the global onset of COVID-19 caused Fulbright grants to be terminated and nations' borders to close, I returned to the States with one block of red sandstone I had retrieved from a scrap pile in a stone yard in Jaipur, Rajasthan. In the early weeks of quarantine, I was struck by the lack of physical contact I had with others. That desire to touch—to feel—drove the design of the Re_Formed stone objects, which are intended to be experienced visually and tactilely. My process for this project began with modeling clay objects. Once satisfied with how those clay objects felt in my hands, I used them as models and carved exact replicas out of the red sandstone block.
My digital device screens – my phone, tablet, and laptop – reached a whole new level in occupying my time when they became my access point to information beyond my immediate quarantine group. I was interested in exploring how my stone objects translated to digital space, and from digital space back to physical space. I 3D scanned the stone objects, which generated an exact digital “twin” for each object. The Re_Formed project comprises the original stone carvings, and this webpage that presents the digital “twin” models. The Re_Formed project encompasses all of the components of the work shown here (the original carvings, the virtual models, and printing files) and links to all iterations of re-designed files – the originals re_formed.
A glove icon will appear if you hover over the digital model to the left. Click and drag to move the digital model around and view the object from all directions. The digital experience of the object gives you control over scale and eliminates the object's connection to gravity.
The AR (Augmented Reality) links below can be used to interact with the Re_Formed objects as digital overlays onto a live-view of your physical surroundings using a smartphone. Each link will open a browser window that will load a model of the object. To view the object in AR, click on the rectangle with AR in the upper right corner of the screen. The AR objects can be re-positioned, rotated, and scaled, by moving your finger across the smartphone screen once the AR object model loads. The AR object will initially load at 100% scale - this is a visualization of the exact size of the original sandstone object relative to the physical objects seen through your smartphone's camera.
Scan QR to load AR
Object Two
Scan QR to load AR
Object Three
Scan QR to load AR
Object Four
Scan QR to load AR
Object One
The digital files for the Re_Formed objects are available online (Sketchfab). This allows the objects to be reintroduced to physical space via 3D printing in any location. The 3D files are on a 1:1 scale with the original objects. If no modifications are made to the project files and they are printed as downloaded, the resulting 3D-printed object will be an exact three-dimensional replica of the original sandstone object.
If you download the digital files from Sketchfab, you can work with them in 3D modeling programs to morph, distort, and alter the object’s shape. The digitally altered objects participants have produced for this project indicate digital space's flexibility and constant change. Below are digital redesigns of the original four objects, created by Miki Rierson, Hailey Aronson, Isaac Gelb, and Andria Polo Brizuela.
Object Two redesign by Miki Rierson
2022
Object Three redesign by Hailey Aronson
2022
Object Four redesign by Isaac Gelb
2022
Object One redesign by Andria Polo Brizuela
2022
The Re_Formed objects can be experienced digitally as interactive 3D models, Augmented Reality objects, or malleable files in digital modeling programs. These digital objects have no permanent size (their scale relative to our body is always malleable onscreen) and do not have a connection to gravity. When the digital objects are reintroduced to the physical environment by 3D printing, the object's size is determined by the individual making the print. Material selection and size are secondary considerations of a 3D printed object; the digital model file is the starting point. In contrast, material and size were the primary considerations – and given restraints – when I created the original Re_Formed stone objects.
Through carried half way around the world, from India to the United States, the Re_Formed sandstone is forever linked to a specific geographical location and geological time. The lines on the sandstone, which look similar to wood grain, are a visual marker of how the sandstone was formed by layers of sediment compressing one on top of another. The sandstone lends a significant weight to the objects for their size, creating surprisingly heavy objects with sanded, silky smooth surfaces.
