Project Description

Infinite Reflections by Studio Lilian van Daal

Product designer Lilian van Daal bridges with her work the natural and the artificial – or designed – world. She experiments with innovative technologies and materials in order to meticulously mimic nature. With the resulting objects, Van Daal aspires to reveal nature’s rich library of solutions. The emphasis is on the imitation and adjustment of structures to optimize production methods in a sustainable way.

3D Printed Reflectors

The highly reflective scales of fish are developed to help fish hide – a smart camouflage trick. The reflectivity from these tiny scales can also be used to efficiently catch and reflect all incoming light. Studio Van Daal has been experimenting with this smart thought-out phenomenon to create a highly efficient lighting object using advanced Luximprint optical 3D printing methodologies.

The aim of the research study has been to reflect fish scales, leading to precisely controlled reflection and projection.

Infinite Reflections

An investigation into the positioning of reflective fish scales, leading to precisely controlled reflections. The software of Physionary and Printoptical Technology of Luximprint respectively allow me to mimic this principle. By combining these new technologies, one ise able to direct incoming light to a point in an extremely controlled and efficient manner, allowing a controlled image to be projected and optically increasing the output. This results in an extremely efficient light object.

This research was done with support of the Dutch Stimuleringsfonds. It is a prelude of the parallel project ‘Microscopic Imitations‘, a prelude experiment finished back in the summer of 2020.

(The final results of the study remain undisclosed for confidentiality reasons)

​Collaboration: Luximprint
Concept and design: Lilian van Daal