SCULPTURE SCIENCE // 3D Print In Flight

Thinking of how best to conceptualize yourself a mindblowingly complex flying apparatus this year? Or maybe just on the prowl for something visually stunning to help get your inner-designer in gear? We believe we've found your answer--and it comes in the form of collaborative artists, Heather & Ivan Morison's floating 3D sculpture deemed Little Shining Man.

Unreal-looking in the literal sense, Little Shining Man is comprised of 1,700 3D printed connectors, cuben fiber aerospace fabric and carbon fiber rods (their words, not just our astute observation.)

According to the Morisons:

The design of the structure is based around the tetra kites of Alexander Graham Bell, multiplied out into colliding cubes that take their form from the cubic formations of the mineral Pyrite. A double wing module has been duplicated and arranged into a tight cellular structural arrangement that appears as a heavy, un-flyable mass. Utilising lightweight materials and the symmetry of the module and composition, it is able to fly freely and steadily.

Now take 3 minutes and watch an ethereal, completely inspiring document on the sculpture's evolution from fruition to flight:

Of course, if you think you can rival that (and we think you can) take a quick look at our design and sculpture classes and get your ideas off the ground.