3D Printing Artist Jean-François Réveillard Mixes Things Up

3D printing and art is a staying point as the technology develops well beyond the early days when artists, like Corinne Whitaker, who are interested in digital 3D design and printing, were largely on their own when it comes to mastering the technology or accessing a wide variety of software and hardware available in today’s burgeoning marketplace. In fact, I am relieved that I am a writer instead of a visual designer because the choices and techniques out there are far too numerable to fully grasp.

Each time we cover another artist here who uses 3D printing, we get both a crash course in what works via software and hardware for them and a creative philosophy. This is the case with Jean-François Réveillard, who mixes 3D printing technologies with many other artistic media to create his unique aesthetic.

Réveillard refers to himself as a “Cross Media Picture Maker,” and cross media is definitely an apt description of this man’s body or artistic work. The Swiss-based artist, who uses 3D printing centrally in his artwork, makes a tall order for today’s artist. He writes:

“Contemporary art has to use all mirrors, techniques, and spread cultural ideas through the big network around the earth.There is no inferior or depreciated way to perform art, web, TV, digital facility, social network or simple paper, all are pencils and medium of the century.”

And in a bold affirmation of all existing media, Réveillard leaves no stone unturned regarding media ranging from paper and pencil, to ceramics, all the way up to digitization.

If you take a look at his website, you see his work separated into a variety of categories including painting, drawing, photography, video art, street art, and 3D printing. How does he integrate 3D printing into his work? In his own words, he explains that he sees no difference between 3D printing and ceramics or pottery:

“I use 3D printing for creating sculpture and /or integrate it in mixed media canvas. I work virtual material on computer, or forms that I create and digitally scan, for me the 3D printing is like, the ceramic or the pottery.”

You can see his combination of digital design and 3D printing with more traditional display practices in his “Matiéres” and *cabinet de curiosités* series that feature a range of 3D printed figures, including abstract formations, a teddy bear, a kitten, an elephant, and an electron figure. The display is decidedly quaint, as if each figure was a treasured piece in a grand mahogany display cabinet.

Even Réveillard’s video installations use 3D printed sculptures that are then filmed:

“Most of my video artwork is connected to real sculpture made with digital technics like 3D printing and mixed with painting photographie and many other media use in my installation.”

From 1980 until present Réveillard’s artwork has been exhibited in many places, and he will be exhibiting his work at Zurich’s 18th Annual Contemporary Art Fair in September. The below video is an installation featuring 3D printed pieces displayed at Art Basel 2015. Discuss in the 3D Printing & Cabinet of Curiosities forum over at 3DPB.com.

[Images: JFR Art]