Crossing Parallels explores the interaction between the basketry technique of hand coiling and 3D printing. Both techniques build objects through the same construction principle, laying one filament—whether natural fibre or melted plastic—on top of another. By conducting material research at the crossroads between handicraft and digital craft, this project aims that millennial techniques and new technologies are not opposite but can actually nourish and enhance each other. This research benefits from the contribution and technical mastery of basket weaver Esmé Hofman and 3D-printing artisan Joris van Tubergen. The goal is to give value to the collaboration beyond the production of the final object, to involve and challenge the knowledge of the craftsmen from the outset, and to encourage creative experimentation between the two techniques and between craft and design. Crossing Parallels is built upon an ecosystem of diverse artefacts that will soon be shared in an open source model, ranging from samples and failed experiments to tools and final products. Each element is considered as one intersection of human knowledge. The project connects different communities of practice and collect creative opportunities for further exploration. By mapping discoveries at each stage, this project considers collaboration between traditional crafts and digital practices not as a path towards a single outcome, but as a rich territory for knowledges sharing, experimentation and invention. amandinedavid.com The Crossing Parallels project is developped in collaboration with Esmé Hofman (esmehofman.nl) and Joris Van Tubergen (rooiejoris.nl).

Crossing Parallels explores the interaction between the basketry technique of hand coiling and 3D printing. Both techniques build objects through the same construction principle, laying one filament—whether natural fibre or melted plastic—on top of another. This collaborative research led to the creation of new tools including a rotary 3D printer and a library of material experimentations.

This research benefits from the contribution and technical mastery of basket weaver Esmé Hofman and 3D-printing artisan Joris van Tubergen. The process gives value to the collaboration beyond the production of the final object. It results in an ecosystem of diverse artefacts, ranging from samples and failed experiments to tools and final products. During several months Esmé, Joris and I exchanged ideas, challenged each other’s knowledges and looked for ways to create artefacts mixing the techniques of coiling and 3D printing. One day I showed Joris a model and asked him naively if we could 3D print vertically. Our discussion led to the idea of the rotary printer which was made by hacking an Ultimaker. We hacked the Y motors and removed the horizontal heating board to replace it by a wooden cylinder. This wooden cylinder became the link with the basket weaving technique as Esmé traditionally uses one to guide her gestures. The pieces 180810 and 180811 were made following this collaborative protocol. I turned a wooden piece. Esmé used it to coil cotton around. In Joris’s workshop, the whole piece was placed inside the rotary printer to add a functional or decorative 3D printed part.

Rotary 3D printer : the hacked ultimaker is set on vertical rails that need to be attached to a vertical wall or structure / hight 110 x 45 x 45cm Library of material experiments : various pieces made of cotton rope, 3D printed PLA, nylon rope, rattan, 3D printed flexible plastic, cotton thread, plastic tubes, ... / various size from few centimeters to 50 centimeters hight.