Printoptical.Art: A Blend of Optical 3D Printing – Advanced Lighting Technologies and Interactive Art
Luximprint Printoptical Technology has been widely adopted over the last decade for the rapid prototyping of custom optics. The controlled deposition of optical material, as well as the optical smoothness achieved directly from the 3D printer, offers great advances for the development of new lighting and high-tech devices. Time and money-saving approaches, along with the manufacturing speed and flexibility, are resulting in an unprecedented competitive edge. Interestingly, Luximprint technology enables a much broader application. It is over the last couple of years, that the Luximprint team has been exploring new markets and applications. More specifically, digital artists and galleries have expressed their deep interest and engagement with the technology. The possibility to seamlessly integrate advanced 3D printed optical elements and textures in digital art opens doors to new and appealing designs for temporary and durable (light) art. As a result, the next generation of true optical art is born!
Printoptical Art by Luximprint
Pandemic times unleash untamed creativity, both in the artist community worldwide, as well as the team and design relatives at the Luximprint Creative factories in particular. The suggestion of opening up the technology for the ‘creative design space’ has been evolving over the past decade, and reached a level of maturity before finally spinning out.
After closing a decade of successful technology development for functional lighting applications, the next chapter opens up: optical 3D printing of digital art. The brand new methodology offers designers of high-end art the possibility to integrate optical lighting technologies into their Artworks. By adding the next dimension to the art, a ‘play of brilliants’ is added to stimulate senses and nerves. ‘Printoptical Art‘ takes experiencing art to a truly next level.
Florals and Flutters by Printoptical Artist Illumarco (Marco de Visser) is a vivid blend of optical flowers and butterflies, light and diffraction on display.
Light Art in its Purest Essence
Light Art redefined. That’s what Luximprint’s Printoptical Art is truly enabling: the merge of optical and lighting technologies offers a totally new methodology of approaching art. The optically performing elements add an appealing next dimension to the artwork. Translucent elements such as eyes, droplets and water-like surfaces, window planes, crystals and jewels, just to name a few, are complemented with diffractive/refractive optical textures that expose the beauty of light through internal material refractions. Also, reflective surfaces such as silver and gold-like textures and elements can be easily integrated, along with a variety of substrates from where the optical features are grown.
Temporary vs. Contemporary Art
Luximprint contemporary Printoptical artwork is typically characterized by its diversity: diversity of material, form, optical integrations, and a strong presence of illuminative elements, both natural (day)light and artificial lighting technologies. The perception of a moment through light and color (basically ‘Impressionism’), as opposed to the attempt to reflect stark reality, such as in ‘Realism’. Luximprint contemporary Printoptical Art, however, does not have one, single objective or point of view, so it can be contradictory and open-ended. The imagination and creativity of the artists, comprised of both traditional (offline) makers as well as digital artists, along with the storytelling define the credibility and value of the work.
Nonetheless, there are several common themes that appear in contemporary Printoptical Artworks, such as: brand identity, technology, architecture, contemporary society, culture and nature, time and space. Also, an interesting edge is the combination of ‘traditionally crafted art’ and novel Printoptical Technology as, for example, applied in Minke van de Zande’s artwork ‘Enlighten Me’.
Printoptical Art Space
The performance of Printoptical Art in the design space is dependent on art institutions, ranging from major museums to private galleries, non-profit spaces, art schools, and publishers, and the practices of individual artists, curators, writers, collectors, and philanthropists. Printoptical Art is accessible for both ‘for-profit’ and ‘non-profit sectors’, as the boundaries between for-profit private and non-profit public institutions have become increasingly blurred.
Typical Printoptical Artworks are exhibited by professional artists at commercial contemporary art galleries, as well as by private collectors, corporations, publicly funded arts organizations, contemporary art museums or by artists themselves in artist-run spaces. Printoptical Artists are supported by grants, awards, and prizes as well as by direct sales of their work, which is partially facilitated by Luximprint.
A ‘sneak-preview’ of Minke van de Zande’s Artwork ‘Enlighten Me’. Worlds first Printoptical Artwork Launched in July 2022.
‘Enlighten Me’ by Printoptical Artist Minke van de Zande
On July 15th, 2022, world’s first ‘Printoptical Artwork’ will be launched at the Luximprint Creative Factories in Wemeldinge, Netherlands. ‘Enlighten Me’ is a unique, never-ever presented combination of novel optical 3D printing technology, textile and traditional ‘needle-art’.
More information on ‘Enlighten Me’ and the work of Minke van de Zande can be found in her Artist Profile.
After the initial soft-launch on July 15th, Luximprint will be formally launching its new Printoptical.Art platform by Q4/2022, featuring the works of a growing group of ‘Printoptical Artists’.
