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The Future Of Formalist Sculpture May Be 3D Printed

Sculptor Harley Valentine designs abstract forms with a 3D printer and remixes them through specialized photo shoots.

Images courtesy of the artist; via

Photographer-turned-sculptor-turned-3D printing aficionado Harley Valentine's abstract artworks are difficult to fit into a single category; by combining photography and abstract, 3D-printed sculpture, his multi-layered pieces can be interpreted through multiple lenses.

The first layer comes from Valentine's 3D sculptures, in which, massive forms that build on the work of great mid-century American sculptors (like Alexander Calder or John McCracken) and dominate their surrounding spaces. Often experimenting with shutter speeds and apertures to create interesting effects, Valentine then captures photographs of his structures within their environments:

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"I am driven to create a new formalism with steel, born through the processes of 3D printing," Valentine told The Creators Project. "Utilizing the limitless 3D modeling tools my forms are created to challenge engineering and capture movement and motion through static forms in new dynamic ways." In the short documentary, Model to Monument, Valentine expands on this, explaining that capturing three-dimensional forms in two dimensions via photography is integral to his bipartite practice.

Valentine has installed his work in galleries throughout Canada, and is currently working on a major public art installation called The Dream Ballet for the Daniel Libeskind Residence Tower in Toronto.

For more of Valentine's work, visit his website or his Instagram.

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