Out of Hand: Materialising the Digital

Experience the future of design and manufacturing technology at Out of Hand: Materialising the Digital, an exhibition exclusive to the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, curated by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York (MAD).

Opening on 3 September 2016, this cutting-edge exhibition will showcase over 90 artworks and objects materialised using new digital technologies and the world’s best design practices. Exhibition highlights include designs created by 3D printing, digital knitting and CNC machining, technologies disrupting traditional manufacturing practices.

MAAS Director, Dolla Merrillees, says this is an exhibition with resonance across many industries. “As the first generation of digital natives enter adulthood, this exhibition offers a look into technologies and techniques which once appeared futuristic and are now becoming available for you to employ yourself at home,”

“Working with the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, we’ve had the opportunity to explore the boundaries of design and manufacturing practice, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region. This exhibition ranges from pieces that are spectacular to those which are unassuming, but all with fascinating stories.”

“Technology and design on display in Out of Hand will shape tomorrow’s world. Visitors can experience new technologies and discover how their applications will impact our future lives,” says MAAS curator, Matthew Connell.

Pushing the application of 3D printing to new heights, see the world’s first 3D printed jet engine, created in Australia by Monash Advanced Manufacturing and demonstrating the capacity for a vastly superior performance to weight ratio compared to existing jet engines. Bringing 3D printing into the everyday, examples of 3D printed clothing will be on display including a Michael Schmidt design originally modelled by Dita Von Teese.

Other works showcase how digital technology can record and reinterpret ancient artworks, unrealised designs and fossils without tampering with them, used to dramatic effect in the reimagining of Umberto Boccioni’s 1913 Futurist work Unique Forms of Continuity in Space by American artist Barry X Ball’s Perfect Forms. Also on display for the first time will be the most recent MAAS acquisition; the Iris van Herpen Bubble Dress from the AW2016 collection which uses wearable mirrors to create the illusion of moving bubbles.

Out of Hand opens during the annual Sydney Design Festival, which celebrates the best of design and runs at venues across Sydney from 2 – 11 September. This year’s festival theme is Make or Break and will examine the role of commercial success for designers and the trend for deconstructed production methods.

Exhibition details:
What: Out of Hand: Materialising the Digital
https://maas.museum/event/out-of-hand-materialising-the-digital/
When: 3 September 2016 – June 2017
Where: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007