During the premiere of “Farewell My Concubine” in December, in London – a play of the Beijing Opera, actors of the Royal College of Art (RCA) will perform in costumes 3D printed with Sinterit Lisa printer.
Fashion constitutes a sector of activity where 3D printing still needs to prove itself and yet it constitutes an art with which we come into contact in our daily life.
In this classic Chinese theater, the scenography and decorations are limited to the very minimum. Symbolism expressed through props, masks, and costumes is the key element that tells the story.
Taking advantage of the 3D SLS technology
In their need to include the aesthetics of digital culture in juxtaposition to how the Beijing Opera is perceived by the audience, designers manufacture costumes using SLS 3D printing. They were able to achieve a precise printing of the pleated structure designed by Tsai-Chun Huang and translated into a special algorithm by Mingjing Lin.
“It was important for us to create a new, groundbreaking costume, which shape and form will refer to the traditional Beijing Opera. In accordance with the previous aesthetics the project has assumed a simplification of the form – more subtleness thanks to using monochromatic colours and less decorations – says the designer, Mingijing Lin – The costumes have been printed with the use of the cutting-edge SLS technology (selective laser sintering) offered by Sinterit 3D printers. Over-designed and complex projects could not be executed with the use of classic techniques of constructing and sewing fabrics. The properties of the Flexa Black fabric allowed us to maintain the geometrical structure of the costume and a softness resembling that which characterizes traditional fabrics” – Lin emphasizes.
When undertaking their works in terms of the project, Mingjing Lin and Tsai-Chun Huang were aware that it significantly extends outside of the field of fashion. It constitutes a clear reflection of a cultural exchange, a dialogue between the East and West, modernity and tradition, technology and craftsmanship. It is a significant step which shows the scale of permeation between seemingly unrelated fields: culture, art and technology.
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