3D printing is a truly revolutionary technology that blasted open the floodgates of creativity and design. It gave almost everyone a powerful tool to realize their dreams and experiment with their ideas. These machines also made it easier to have more flexibility in the execution of designs, like adding an element of randomness to each output. That’s the kind of uniqueness that each of these Maze Lamps brings to your room, catching your attention with its unique lines and snaking paths, creating a play of light and shadow even when the lamp is turned off.
Designer: Stijn van Aardenne
Most people probably think of 3D printers as extras large boxes that sit on desks, applying layer upon layer of melted plastic to complete a small shape. In reality, there are different kinds of 3D printers and different types of printing, and while the most popular machines are designed for use by individuals or small businesses, it didn’t take long for industrial-grade ones to pop up. This kind of printer offers a bit more flexibility in terms of movement and can cover a wider area as well.
The Maze Lamp design takes advantage of this capability by having an industrial 3D printer lay out the lines over a rotating axis. Normally, what you’d get is a cylindrical shape that looks like it was made from a spindle of extra-large spaghetti as the plastic material coils around and around the slowly spinning base. But if you move the nozzle forward, backward, and sideways while it spins, you can create more interesting patterns that look like the lines of a maze. Stack those lines on top of each other and you get a three-dimensional maze on a cylinder.
What makes this process even more special is that the pattern of these lines is random. No two Maze Lamps will ever have the same design, making each piece a one-of-a-kind item. For programmers and designers, this kind of procedurally generated pattern adds a unique characteristic to every iteration. As a bonus, the material used by the 3D printer is made from plastic shredded from discarded refrigerator doors, giving our own waste a beautiful new lease on life.
Thanks to the three dimensional patterns printed around the core, the Maze Lamp entices viewers whether the light is on or not. The light shining from the casts an eerie glow, almost like some otherworldly artifact found hidden in some ancient Aztec temple. On its own, the lamp becomes a sculptural art piece, not unlike a totem that represents the aesthetics and the technology of civilization that made it.
