“There are 3-D things, 3-D printers, and 3-D projection everywhere but none of it seems really useful,” says TBWA Executive Creative Director Kazoo Sato. “We wanted to create something meaningful.”
Each sculpture started as a block of ice nearly six inches wide and was painstakingly carved over a period of hours using a CNC router inside a 19 °F freezer/studio. A thick bit roughed out the form, a thin tip went for a second pass to bring out the details, and the cube was flipped so the process could be repeated. Each cube took between one and six hours of milling and some of the more complex designs, like the legs of the horse, required several blocks of ice to be milled and combined.
The subjects of the sculptures were suggested by fans of Suntory Whisky who sent the company descriptions of pivotal moments in their lives where liquor played a prominent role. A professor likened the courage gained from a drink to the inspiring words of Abraham Lincoln. Sadness over unrealized childhood dreams of space travel were softened by three fingers and an icy astronaut. An imbiber shared a poetic vision of Kinkaku-ji, the golden Buddhist temple, and how a miniature version would transform brown liquor into a golden beverage as it melted. “We tried to pick simple to complexed shaped ideas, ones that had dreams and hope, ones with stories that emotionally moved us,” says Sato….
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
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The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
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That’s some lovely sculpture. With a 3d printer, I’d design hollow moulds of the characters.
Hollow, to increase the surface area in contact with the liquor.
Then I’d sell the moulds, or include them with glasses in a PR stunt.
That’s some lovely sculpture. With a 3d printer, I’d design hollow moulds of the characters.
Hollow, to increase the surface area in contact with the liquor.
Then I’d sell the moulds, or include them with glasses in a PR stunt.