3D printing in the service of Art

Impresssion-3D-Art-Design-Contrefaxon-portection-des-oeuvres-Initial-Prodways

bespoke 3D printing

For a new object DNA

With the popularisation of 3D printing, will all artists and designers be victims of counterfeiting? Rest assured: a traceability technique for originals has already been devised!

The alarm was sounded by the Legal Director of the Société des Auteurs dans les Arts Graphiques et Plastiques (ADAGP), Thierry Maillard.
This rights management society, entrusted with ensuring the defence and recognition of works, says that it is deeply concerned about the accessibility of processes and the infinite possibilities for unauthorised reproduction that these now offer.

Emerging in the first half of the 1980s, additive manufacturing of an object consists of printing it using successive layers of a material, on the basis of a 3D file.
Originally used by industry to produce prototypes, it has now captured a broader audience.
It is also accompanied by a clear improvement in the available tools and the development of companies specialising in modelling of objects and online 3D printing services.

Thanks to 3D scanner technology, the object produced may be extremely faithful to the original.
Sculptors and designers are especially concerned, highlights Thierry Maillard.
“Painters are too,”
he adds.
Before recalling, by way of an example, the technology developed by Fujifilm and used by the Van Gogh Museum to create high-definition 3D reproductions of some of the artist’s works for collectors.

“Custom 3D printing opens up new creative channels for artists, but we want to regulate production in order to minimise abuse – fakes and counterfeiting.”

Claire Fayolle

Artist

bespoke 3D printing

A signature inscribed in the material

The ADAGP began to address the issue of 3D printing almost four years ago. By talking to manufacturers in the sector, it became aware of their lack of understanding of the art world and basic copyright rules. This is how the idea of a “charter of best practice in the field of additive manufacturing applied to art and design” came into being.

The preliminary documents talk about a practical and educational document for use as a reference by everyone.
Its aim is to provide a reminder of the applicable rules in intellectual property legislation, propose solutions for adhering to them and defining commitments intended to prevent abuse (respect for copyright, traceability, etc.).

L’avertissement est lancé par la Société des auteurs dans les ans graphiques et plastiques (ADAGP), via son directeur Juridique, Thierry Maillard. Cette société de gestion des droits, chargée d’assurer la defense et le rayonnement de l’ensemble d’une œuvre, se dit vivement préoccupée par l’accessibilité des procédés et les possibilités infinies de reproduction non autorisée que ceux-ci permettent désormais.

Apparue dans la première moitié des années 1980, la fabrication additive d’un objet consiste, à partir d’un fichier 3D, à l’imprimer par couches successives de matière. Utilisée à l’origine par l’industrie pour élaborer des prototypes, celle-ci a maintenant conquis un public plus large. Elle s’accompagne également d’un net perfectionnement des outils disponibles et du développement d’entreprises spécialisées dans la modélisation des objets et des services d’impression 3D en Ligne. Grâce à la technique du scanner 3D, l’objet produit peut s’avéré être très fidèle a l’original. Les sculpteurs et les designers sont particulièrement concernés, insiste ainsi Thierry Maillant. “Même les peintres le sont”. renchérit-il. Avant de rappeler, à titre d’exemple, la technologie mise au point pur Fujifilm et utilisée par le musée Van Gogh pour la reproduction en 3D haute résolution de certaines œuvres de l’artiste a destination des collectionneurs.

An assignment was officially launched in July 2017 by the Conseil Supérieur de la Propriété Littéraire et Artistique (CSPLA), a consultative body responsible for making recommendations to the Ministry of Culture.
It was handed over to the Councillor of State, Olivier Japiot, whose report was published last December.
Catherine Gorgé, Secretary-General of the Prodways Group, specialising in 3D printers, and Director of the division dedicated to creation, has kept an eye on the ADAGP’s demands and ensured that the latter’s requirements can be applied in practice.
Prodways examined what was technically feasible in order to ensure the traceability of an original piece.

A work, the only one in the world

Made using bespoke 3D printing and with an ID inscribed directly in the material

Its creator, the Brazilian artist Jaildo Marinho compares this marker to “a kind of DNA” proving the authenticity of this sculpture produced by the Prodways Group. This solution, which can only be read by X-rays, is one of many suggestions, but it represents a promising start in the effort to reassure creators.