It’s an inescapable fact that 3D printing has changed design, just as any new and powerful technology would. Harker’s headdresses are a test of today’s technology and open us up to new possibilities that 3D printing has afforded to the world of fashion and product design.
Courtesy of © Joshua Harker
The piece is definitely a test of limits. It took 200 hours to design and was built by EOS (e-Manufacturing Solutions) using, quoting Joshua Harker, ‘their largest format SLS printer in polyamide, filling its build envelope to full dimensional capacity.’
Courtesy of © Joshua Harker
The piece will debut in the U.S. in February 2014 as part of the 3D Printshow in Chelsea, Manhattan at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Before that, it had its first debut in London then appeared in Paris at the Louvre.
Courtesy of © Joshua Harker
Headdress is really the best way to explain what the piece is. It covers the head fully, so it is a helmet or hat of sorts as well as a mask. There really isn’t one source of inspiration for it, rather it came from a study of traditional Native American, Latin, African, and Asian headdresses and masks. So, in short: it is a study of headdresses across cultures. It looks massive, but I enjoy the transparency it offers. It is a sum of shapes and a layering of parts rather than one massive block.
Courtesy of © Joshua Harker
Although it isn’t something I would ever wear myself, as a designer I appreciate that it does test social limits and technological limits. From Harker: ‘this piece celebrates the symbolism & ceremony of human adornment.’ I think it is a beautiful notion to make a statement about human expression through ornamentation.
Courtesy of © Joshua Harker
