Volute

“Volute” is the world’s first 3D-printed speech bubble. In 1860, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville recorded the phrase "Au clair de la lune" on his phonoautograph, making the first known recording of human speech. In “Volute 1: Au Clair de la Lune”, the same phrase is materialized with a new method developed by Lozano-Hemmer’s studio in conjunction with fluid dynamic scientists from Georgia Institute of Technology, Auburn University, and NYU. Breath exhaled while speaking is scanned by a custom-made laser tomograph, then converted into a 3D shape using photogrammetry and, finally, printed in high-definition stainless steel. In Lozano Hemmer’s series of "Volute"—words, phrases, and songs—are rendered into turbulent clouds, containing layers of complex folds and vortices. This piece is inspired by Charles Babbage’s 1837 statement that the atmosphere is a vast library that contains all the words that have been spoken in the past. The piece includes a video of the tomograph slices on a square display, showing the cloud in motion.

General info

Spanish name:
Voluta
Year of creation:
2016

Volute 1: Au Clair de la Lune

Technique:
3D-printed polished aluminum, tomography video
Room conditions:
Natural or artificial light. The piece is silent and is not affected by other sounds.
Dimensions:
sculpture: 65 x 19 x 21 cm
video: variable dimensions
Keywords:
indoor, generator, database
Edition:
6 Editions, 2 AP
Collectors:
Fondation Giverny pour l’art contemporain

Volute 0

Technique:
3D-printed polished aluminum, tomography video
Room conditions:
natural or artificial light, the piece is silent and is not affected by other sounds
Dimensions:
7 x 7 x 6 cm
Weight:
0.5 kg
Additionnal info:
word “Au” excerpt from Volute 1
Edition:
35 Editions, 3 AP
Collectors:
private collectors

Volute 2: Listen to the World

Edition:
3 Editions, 1 AP
Collectors:
private collector

Exhibitions


Credits

  • Production: Stephan Schulz, Kitae Kim, Miguel Legault and Sergio Clavijo
  • Georgia Institute of Technology: S. Johnston, J. Imgrund, D. Fries and Devesh Ranjan
  • Auburn University: K. Johnson, J. Bolton, C. Clifford and B. Thurow
  • New York University: E. Fonda and K. Sreenivasan

Links