Czech artist Monika Horčicová creates fantastic conglomerations of 3D printed bones – the kind you imagine could have come from the skeletal remains of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky. The creations are so arresting it is difficult to take your eyes off of them as they threaten to begin to move towards you. Horčicová’s work isn’t done to revel in the macabre. These pieces instead highlight the mathematical beauty of dynamic structures and bones.
Horčicová is not the first to work with bones. The Sedlec Ossuary of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic was built and elaborated using actual human bones. It is estimated that the skeletal remains of between 40,000 – 70,000 people participate in the structure and decoration of this Roman Catholic chapel. While Horčicová does not specifically refer to the Ossuary, she does include among her creations a piece entitled Relikviář, translation: reliquary. While some have been tempted to see it as a purely scientific commentary, it is also clearly connected to the practice of preserving sanctified relics.
Because of an increasing difficulty in obtaining actual human bones for art, the 3D printing of them has really meant a lot to those interested in skeletal art. The famous diamond encrusted skull of artist Damien Hirst, for example, might not be possible to create anymore with actual human bones, because of tightening export regulations and because of confusion over laws regarding their possession and display. Bones created by machines rather than grown in people are not subject to any of those laws, or whatever people might think those laws say.
So, for now, Horčicová has managed to avoid at least one controversial aspect of working with bones, giving the viewer time to contemplate her works on their own merits.
What do you think about Horčicová’s amazing work with the help of 3D printing? Let us know in the 3D Printed bone sculpture forum thread on 3DPB.com. Below are some additional pieces she has created.