MakerBot Industries

Here’s something a bit different: a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic features prominently in Adri Schokker’s installation “Reconstruction of a Catastrophe.”  As you can see in this video, the the Thing-O-Matic is used in conjunction with a novel video interface to create human figures for the installation.

The piece deals with the human connection to disastrous events; it uses the MakerBot-created items to actually place the viewer in the recreated scene.  The piece is not graphic, but the relationship it creates to the piece is an uncomfortable one for the viewer; it’s a bit darker than most of the projects we share here, so use your judgment before showing it to younger people.  That said, this is an innovative and thoughtful piece of art; we’re glad that a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic helped in its creation.

I’ve been working with Lynn Hershman on some interesting projects, including a large-scale interactive installation that was shown at the Sundance film festival. The piece allows users to browse an archive of videos featuring work by contemporary women artists, using virtual flashlights that illuminate a simulated room.

I was able to use my Makerbot to make some small but critically important parts for the physical interface, parts that would have been difficult to make using any other techniques. Using the Makerbot and OpenSCAD, not only was I able to build the part (with help from friends), but I had it very, very quickly.

Wii to flashlight adapter ring

Keep reading for more details on what this little part does, and why using the Makerbot was the best option for building it.

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