Costing:
Studio rent - £0. I do not require a studio for a 3D printer. I will need to find somewhere to fire my pieces however.
Energy - £6.40. Electricity cost of the 3D printer is minimal and negligible. Firing cost is £1.40 per litre. My piece much less than a litre but the lowest quantity I can buy is 1 Litre. Claystudio.co.uk
Travel cost - £0. Cost to return travel to kiln twice. Car is electric, cost is negligible and is charged to a separate business anyway.
Clay - £1.14 including VAT. Weight is 240g and a 12.5kg bag is £21.92 including VAT. Claycellar.co.uk
Materials construction - £3000. Cost is the ceramic 3D printer and all the necessary parts with postage and routing up. Delta Wasp 2040
Postage and Packaging - £10. Bubble wrap and Royal Mail delivery.
Total cost of first time production: £3015.73 decreasing each sale.
Pricing analysis:
Final Piece Proposal/Artist Statement:
Cor Unum is a Design Contest and focuses on an outcome relative to the question: How can designs contribute in a positive way to the changing needs of people and nature? The narrative was to create a piece that merges the human form with nature, specifically focusing on fingers and trees. I chose fingers and trees for a symbolic reason. Fingers represent creation, interaction, and connection with the world around us. Trees, symbolise growth, strength, and connection to nature. By combining these elements it conveys a message about humanity's place in nature, our ability to shape and interact with it.
I have chosen the stacks to represent the fingers with the spirals directly relating to the helix design. The helix design is found across nature from ivy spiralling trees to the DNA pattern found within humans. Taking inspiration from Alex Goad, Katie Spragg and Nature herself I have created a piece that can reside in any setting. It can be left outdoors, exposed to the elements and ready to undergo decay and natural weathering, or it can be displayed indoors, as a mantelpiece or shelf object, or however you desire. The use of ceramic 3D printing brings an unconventional approach to the manufacturing process, as per the brief's request. This method keeps the natural element of using clay but involves a different type of human interaction during design creation. By letting the machine manufacture, I could focus on detailing and manipulating my design until I was satisfied with the result. Although this piece is far from the perfect outcome, with the lack of time and previous knowledge using the machine, I was able to create something I’m happy to submit. I have tackled a machine that Print City couldn’t/refused to help me with and I decided not to compromise. I have had to deal with a significant amount of counteraction and doubt around this piece but I have created something that is worth being shown, even if it's not what I fully intended.
Final Piece:
Reflection:
As I've mentioned in the proposal/artist segment this piece is far for my ideal outcome. Due to a lack of parts for the 3D printer, that was out of our control, I had reduced time and as a result my refinement opportunity ran out. If I had more time, I would have perfected the base to be less wavy and uneven. I would also have tried more glazes and experienced with oxides. I may have also experimented with increasing the size and seeing how big I could've gone in all planes. Other than those slight gremlins, I'm happy overall with the project.