Gilles Azzaro 3D Prints the Sound of a Newborn Crying

You may remember back a couple years ago, when a man named Gilles Azzaro made headlines after he 3D printed President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Taking sound waves from the president’s speech he turned these into 3D printed tangible waves, which he then created quite the unique and fascinating  installation from.

Fast forward two years, and Azzaro is still at it when it comes to combining 3D printing with sound waves. As of just four days ago, he has just completed his latest project which may not garner the media attention as his Barack Obama installation, but is equally impressive.

“This sculpture is the physical representation of the birth of a Voice — the first cries of a human that become tangible by 3D printing,” Azzaro tells 3DPrint.com. “This 3D printed sculpture is a three-dimensional representation of the three first cries of birth of the son of one of my best friend. It is a unique specimen – as is each voice, and each life.”

It isn’t often you see a unique keepsake as sentimental, yet fascinating as this. Yet, the French digital artist who was born in Casablanca, continues to amaze us with his creations. Having started out as a drummer at the age of 17, he has been noted for his work in creating the first digital drum machines. This, along with his education at the University of Toulouse, led him to begin investigating the “invisibility of sound”, as well as how sound moves through space.

Over the years he has released several projects which incorporate the idea of sound as a physical representation; none as popular as Obama’s famous speech, but also none as amazing as this latest project. Not to mention the gift perfect for his friend who just welcomed a new child into this world.

“This will be a unique and original way to welcome this little man on our planet” Azzaro tells us. “If you look closely, this child will have a good life – it shows in his voice; the peaks are growing up!”

As a father of a 2-year-old son, I couldn’t imagine a more amazing keepsake than this — a keepsake which could be looked back on for generations to come. You can see more details of this creation in the video and photos below. What do you think? Is this not the perfect gift for new parents? Discuss in the 3D Printed Baby Cries forum thread on 3DPB.com.