CH25: Joshua Harker
Pushing the boundaries of sculpture with intricate 3D printing
Self-proclaimed “troublemaker ” Joshua Harker creates intricate 3D-printed works that near the border of impossibility, and he has been able to do so by taking the road less traveled by artists before him. Taking advantage of technology that’s developed alongside his art, he uses platforms like Kickstarter to make his works accessible to a wider audience.
In the late ’80s, he started drawing using the surrealist technique of automatism, letting go of rational control and discovering what the subconscious wanted to express. “My intent was to explore and depict the architecture of the imagination,” he says. “To interpret and share forms evident in the mind’s eye, but that cannot otherwise be described.” But physical limitations barred him from moving these ideas into sculpture. “I wanted to give form to the process but there was no way to create what I was doing three-dimensionally. No material, process, or technology existed that would allow me to work in the spontaneous way needed and provide intuitive control over the complexity of shape and volume.”
To find out more about Harker’s fascinating process, read his full CH25 profile.
Illustration by Jason Ratliff, images courtesy of Joshua Harker
