3D Printed Replicas of Armenian Heritage Park’s Dodecahedron Created for Benefactors

The positive energy and power of Mcor 3D printing with paper is making headlines again — this time in Boston, where the Mcor 3D printing technology using paper is now part of a remarkable tradition connected to Armenian Heritage Park and its ever-changing dodecahedron sculpture.

The sculpture was a gift to the city in celebration of the many immigrants who arrived there after leaving their homelands. More specifically to the Armenian culture, the dodecahedron also serves as a dedication to everyone who died in the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923, as well as all other genocides. Armenian Heritage Park also features a labyrinth composed of grass and inlaid stone, which is meant to be a symbol of life’s journey, with a jet of water at the center, as a further symbol of hope and rebirth.

The gift of the sculpture is also a statement of long-term commitment and dedication, for each year, the enormous work of art composed of steel and aluminum is rearranged by a crane, symbolizing the disconnection of immigrants from their home countries and the reconfiguration of their lives after they arrived in Massachusetts and started over. It represents a deeply thoughtful gift to the city that is certainly not a work of donated art just placed in a park and forgotten. The sculpture is continually tended to and repositioned with thought and substantial effort.

Because of the amazing contributions from benefactors and organizations, Don Tellalian, AIA, the Park’s designer and architect, wanted to think of an equally thoughtful gift to give back to them that would be a daily reminder of thanks from the city.

With the help of digital designer David Munson of Munson3D and Don Fienman of NE3DP, Mcor Technologies Certified Reseller and provider of Mcor 3D printing services, Tellalian began exploring methods for producing handheld replicas of the sculpture that could be updated every year. 3D printing is an obvious choice since designs can be refined so easily.

After experimenting with different materials and sizes of the 3D printed replicas, the team focused in on the technology provided by Mcor, with the Mcor IRIS paper-based 3D printer. This particular choice of printer gave them more bang for their buck as they could produce larger replicas at a lower price due to the printer material (paper), which coincidentally also provided a stronger product, with less chance of breakage. Tellalian envisioned these replicas on desks, accessible, and meant to be handled, so resilience was a priority.

“The Mcor IRIS produces the most cost-effective and best product for us,” said Barbara Tellalian of Tellalian Consultants, spearheading development and fund raising for the project. “Annually the sculpture models, sitting on a benefactor’s desk or coffee table, can be reconfigured, just as the actual sculpture is reconfigured in the Park.”

The dodecahedron is a massive sculpture serving as a reminder of something very serious, but also as a celebration of America and the immigration experience. It is thus also a perfect reminder to all when facing controversies in the news regarding immigration and ethnicities — that nearly all of us are products of the melting pot and from new generations to old, we owe a great deal to the welcoming arms of America — and it owes a great deal to us.

Have you been involved in 3D printing any famous sculptures or American landmarks? Have you visited the Armenian Heritage Park in Boston? Share with us in the Armenian Heritage Park 3D Printed Dodecahedron thread at 3DPB.com.

The Armenian Heritage Park was a gift from American-Armenians, and is situated between Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Christopher Columbus Park on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. The Greenway and the Park celebrate Boston’s place in history overall as a port for immigrants from all over the world to Massachusetts, and their impact on cultural and economic development in the United States.