3D Printing Captures the Ascent from “Old Analog” Man

The artist Bill Westheimer says he has been experimented with making 3-D holograms “before he could drive.” 

Westheimer’s current Kickstarter project, called Ascent: the evolution of analog man to digital man, imagines how man’s future evolution might happen, and what we might become. As Westheimer tells Big Think:

We know that man evolved from apes and understand how Darwin explained the process.  Now that our tools are changing from mechanical hand-held devices to digital devices that hear our commands and anticipate our thoughts we will probably evolve to become a different creature than the “old analog” man.   

The Ascent project uses old analog photograms (Camera-less photographs) and 3D printing to imagine how that evolution might happen.  The final Ascent art installation will include a life size bronze casting of the artist’s hand, twenty 10″ tall translucent 3D printed sculptures mounted on white danby marble bases, and 180 framed 14″x11″ black and white photograms.  Ascent imagines 20 possible ways our hands may evolve as a result of using the technologies of the future.  Man descended from apes and now humanity ascends to the digital future.

A $25 contribution gets you a 2.375″ sculpture. Check out the Ascent project Kickstarter page here.