I have always been fascinated by 3D printing and photography, and now there seems to be something that combines them both in a way that I believe is eye-opening or not, depends on how you “feel” about it. Being able to touch art is something that very few get to experience, imagine children being able to explore with their hands, the blind being able for the first time to experience what a photograph is? This is what Tactography is, the combination of photography and 3D printing. Artist Gabriel Bonfim latest photographs have no color and are just white; his photos are in 3D allowing the blind to feel and see the pictures.
This is not just for the blind, imagine exploring art with a sense other than sight, or sound. There are textured works out there, yet this type of work requires you to touch it rather than the usual hands off. This technology is called stereolithography; it is an embossing of 2D images to a 3D model. CAD software is used to follow the original photograph creating an accurate image and then it is printed. As with the image, about one can easily see the picture yet all are welcome to touch. Combining stereolithography and images opens a new world for an artist to explore as never before.
