Ruga glacies & Ruga ignis
Hand dyed recycled PET #1 plastic14” x 16” x 27.5”
2022
The form of Ruga glacies and Ruga ignis emulates organic shapes of vessels found in nature, like gourds and hornet nests with layers, folds, and wrinkles. Their colors are inspired by the man made plastic in soda bottles frequently found on the ground. This hybrid of natural and synthetic mimics the process by which the vessels were made. Although they were created by an industrial robot, each is one of a kind due to interjection of the human hand.
Unlike typical 3D prints, their surface is inconsistent and textured with ripples, shifts, and over-extrusions inserted into the code. The recycled PET plastic is incrementally hand dyed with ink throughout the printing process. Once the ink is baked into the plastic, there is no way to go back and make changes. In a way, the ink serves the same purpose as tree rings, revealing the process of growth on the walls of the vessel and documenting the human-robot collaboration. The titles refer to imagined species of plastic organisms resulting from plastic waste becoming one with nature.
Assistance: Hyeseul Song
Photos: Kate Bickel for I.M. Weiss Gallery
