Looking Outwards-03: Section B

Desbians Design Research is a company dedicated to computational fabrication and design. Of their many projects, I find the Fahz, face in a vase, project fascinating. This project transforms photographs of faces in profile by first converting them into vector coordinates. The coordinates of up to four photos are uploaded into software that generates a unique vase design that incorporates each face. The final piece is 3D printed.

The faces are not carved into the vase, but are created in the negative space around the vase. The minimalism and simplicity of this project are at odds with the hyper, overproduced world we live in. The art found in the absence inspires me. Sometimes less really is more.

This project was originated by Daniel Desbians in 2014. He modeled the vases with Rhino 3D design software with an add-on called Grasshopper to aid with creating algorithms. Python was also used to put it all together. Each vase is unique and designed by software from a parametric model. This is an example of generative art fabricated into physical form.