Glomus (2010)

The advent of the Makerbot in 2009 – the first sub $1000 3D printer – promised a seachange in our understanding of 3D printing. In response, a group of ten third year Industrial students envisioned the Makerbot as a creator of prostheses for broken objects in a scenario where broken, abandoned, unused or unloved artefacts would not only be repaired but also enhanced with a printed prosthesis. Their manifesto is compelling – their proposition is that the act of making increases the intimacy and sense of ownership between the user and the product and thereby enhances its perceived value and extends its lifespan. In other words, you have invested in the product, and you have invested something more valuable than money – you have invested time, thought and care.

They capture this philosophy in a lifestyle scenario where, for instance; cutlery bought second-hand is personalized and becomes your own with newly enhanced handles, sunglasses found discarded on the street are taken home and given a new lease on life and the eternal problem of the wineglass with a broken stem is solved by revitalising it with a replacement.

Interestingly, this project moved beyond the course brief of recycled@home and created a process of re-making which allowed objects to be repaired@home. It is a scenario that uses new technologies to reassert emotional bonds between people and products. Ironically, it is the new technology that connects us to what we used to do – repair, rejuvenate, reuse and recycle – and the group has achieved it with a visual integrity and empathy for the obviously low-resolution capabilities of the Makerbot.