Remember Entoforms? Back in 2011, I wrote about Dutch artist and maker Dolf Veenvliet’s 3-D plastic lifeforms, which looked like something that might have been swimming around in a Paleozoic sea, circa 500 million BC. To come up with his Entoforms, Veenvliet, whose nom-de-plum is Macouno, decoded the secret of life using, what else, but Blender, Python scripts, and 3D printers. You can see more of his work on his website.
Last week, Macouno contacted me about a new project of his called Uwatela. Machined plastic pieces–printed by Makerbots, of course–are involved, but unlike Entoforms, Uwatela is tentacle free. I refuse to use the L-word in describing them, but you can assemble these notched building blocks together to create your own micro Chris Burden-like installation. Or perhaps make something practical–thinking out loud–like a tea-cup holder or an edgy clothes hangar.
Anyway, Uwatela is the Zulu word for the Acacia tree, which is an invasive species that “once it find its way into an environment, it is very hard to get rid of it”.
You can order the seven-piece Uwatela starter kit at Etsy for $21.