Sculptures

My art teacher suggested that I could use the school’s laser cutter to turn the LIMBS art into a 3D sculpture, so my next step was to develop a quick prototype of what this design might look like in 3D.

These early prototypes were made with copper wire, cardboard and masking tape, and many of the shapes used ended up being used in the final sculptures.

My next step was to design the shapes to be cut with the laser cutter.

Then, I digitally recreated this in TechSoft Design V3, the software used by the laser cutter.

I didn’t know how these shapes would connect at this point, so I did not add any slots to the design, and some of the shapes weren't used in the end. I chose to cut the same set of shapes twice in case I made any mistakes.

Then, on the day of my GCSE Art mock, I was delivered the laser cut wooden shapes, and I got to work constructing and painting it in the limited timeframe. But I was immediately faced with a problem. I had designed the shapes with the idea of a 4mm thickness, so the slots on the base were that wide, however the shapes that I had, were a thickness of 6mm. In the end, this was no major problem, as I manually extended the slots on the base to accommodate this. The most difficult part after cutting the slots and working out how it would assemble, was in fact painting every piece in time, as each piece needed multiple coats. I didn't have the time to sand away the black edge left by the laser cutter, so I just had to paint over it.

But in the end, it turned out well.

I gave this the title “Limbs Embracing”, although I also considered the title “the Modern Hug”. I have never found a name for this project that I particularly like, but I suppose “Limbs” has stuck (although I had one playtester report that they were, quite understandably, expecting a zombie game given the title “LIMBS”, so even that name doesn’t really fit). At the time, I wrote about how this piece represents our complex interconnectedness with those around us, although I don’t really believe it represents that, or anything else for that matter.

Here is an incomplete sketch of LIMBS in an isometric view I drew after making the first sculpture.

At this point, I also used the spare shapes to create this A2 piece with spray paint.

After I completed the first sculpture, I was given the excellent opportunity, by my teacher, to make the same sculpture again, except bigger.

While the base of the triangle of my first sculpture was 25cm long, my next sculpture was upscaled 4.5 times, to where the base measured 1.125 metres! Along with upscaling each shape 4.5 times, I was able to add the slots to the design before it was cut, as I already knew how the shapes would slot together. Although I was no longer in timed conditions, I still had a tight time limit for this project, because the GCSE Art submission deadline was fast approaching. This meant I was repeatedly transporting these large pieces between school and my home to continue working on it. However, this did allow me the time to prime the shapes before painting them their colour, which I had wanted to do for the first sculpture as well.

The triangular base was too large to laser cut, so thankfully my dad swiftly created the base for this sculpture. Additionally, due its larger weight, the sculpture requires two rods protruding from the base to support it.

Once it was painted and assembled, this was submitted as my final piece for GCSE Art. Here it is set up in the art room.

As a final goodbye to this project, and for this webpage, I chose to recreate the sculpture as a 3D model, using the original shapes that were laser cut. This is my first time using Blender, so I am very happy with the result.

One thing I like about this version in particular is how it looks like an early 3D model. It reminds me of this 3D pipes screensaver.