‘Designers, Makers, and Users: 3D Printing the Future’ Exhibit Opens at Museum of Design Atlanta

The museum once known as the Atlanta International Museum of Art & Design changed its name in 2003 to the Museum of Design Atlanta, allowing itself the clever acronym of MODA (which means ‘fashion’ in several romance languages). In keeping with their eagle eye on the fashionable, they are hosting an exhibit to celebrate the contributions of 3D printing and the maker movement called Designers, Makers, Users: 3D Printing the Future that will run from September 20, 2015 through January 10, 2016 for a ticket price of $10.

As we struggle to differentiate between actuality and the hype that surrounds 3D printing technology, this exhibit promises to not only explore the wide array of products made possible, or made different(ly), because of 3D printing but also raise questions about the ways in which 3D printing can and will affect the future. There will be a number of displays in an effort to demonstrate the breadth of 3D printing’s impact in areas such as medicine, aeronautics, cinema, and fashion.

The list of exhibits reads like a who’s who – or maybe a what’s what – of 3D printing.

The Zero-G 3D printer that made a trip to the International Space Station in 2014 will make an appearance. Not to be outdone even on the moon, Foster + Partners‘ plan for lunar dwellings that could be 3D printed on the moon itself will also be on display.

It’s not all “to infinity and beyond” oriented, however. Some of the exhibits will focus on the doors opened by 3D printing in areas as close to us as the surface of our skin. The Kinematics dress by Nervous System – arguably actually 4D printing – uses 3,212 panels that are held together by 4,709 hinges to create a garment that is not only beautiful but sufficiently comfortable to actually be worn directly off the printer.

In terms of entertainment, 3D printing not only provides it, it can be used to create more! Gilles-Alexandre Deschaud used 3D printing to create the 2,500 pieces necessary to make the animated film Chase Me. The story of this movie works to counter the myth of 3D printing as all about speed as it took two years to make and required 2,500 prints. It was well worth the wait and has garnered a spot in the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival.

If you look closely, you’ll see something else that ties all of these exciting projects together. We’ve been covering them here at 3DPrint.com along with hundreds of other exciting developments in 3D printing. If you can’t make it to the MODA exhibit, then consider this: stop by 3DPrint.com as often as you like and you’ll always be up to date on a curated exhibit of what’s happening in the world of 3D printing.

And that, as they say, is priceless.

Let us know your thoughts on this exhibit.  Discuss in the 3D Printing the Future Forum thread on 3DPB.com.