Window Series - 'Point Ligne Plan' by Alterfact

'Point Ligne Plan' by Alterfact 

Introducing pépite's new window show by Melbourne duo Alterfact. All pieces included in this installation were 3D printed with porcelain by Ben and Lucile from Alterfact using a 3D printer they built themselves through open source design. All works are available for sale.

About the Artists

Alterfact is a Brunswick-based experimental design studio created by Lucile Sciallano and Ben Landau in 2014. Since graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2013, Lucile and Ben have worked in tandem on various projects in different mediums. Their collaboration has culminated in the creation of Alterfact Studio, a practice that is currently focused on the use of 3D printing with clay as a small batch manufacturing process. They push the boundaries of this traditionally plastic-based medium and play with its connotations of utilitarianism and gimmickry, as it moves into a feasible reality.

Their innovative approach was quick to gather interest amongst Australia’s Craft and Design industry leaders allowing them to secure a number of grants and awards, and have their work included in prestigious events and institutions such as Melbourne Design week and most recently their solo exhibition ‘Ornament Is Fine’ currently showing at NGV Australia.

Materials and Process

‘Point Ligne Plan’ series is loosely inspired by Vassily Kandinsky’s essay “Point and Line to Plane.” In his book, Kandinsky’s research is focused around creating a system to generate a composition. Kandinsky researched “grammar”, a vocabulary to structure his paintings, as we would use to construct sentences. He looked at the unit dot (point), which determined a concrete position, a line is a succession of dots and a surface (plane) is made of lines. Kandinsky’s approach inspired Alterfact’s work in looking at the yellow surface as the “point”, the thin extruded coils as the “ligne” and the gradient volume created by the lines as the “plan”.

Alterfact’s making process starts with drawing the objects, digitalising them on the computer, preparing and colouring the clay with pigments, using the digital models to print the objects with a 3D printer and finally fire the pieces twice at 800°C and 1280°C. A crucial part of the making process is to meticulously prepare the porcelain to the right consistency to avoid air bubbles, clay explosions and pieces collapsing during the printing stage. The pieces in this show were printed using one of the three 3D printers Ben and Lucile have built using open source design.

All works in this show are 3D printed with southern ice porcelain and include a combination of yellow stains, cobalt underglaze and blue and clear glazes.

Click here for a copy of the price list.

For any other enquiries about Alterfact's work please email hello@pepite.com.au