Do you have a mind that won’t stop? Constantly thinking, imagining, and creating? Over two days last September, ten designers, with creative hearts and their own unique visions of the future, were treated to a special workshop hosted by i.materialise and .MGX. With the help of renowned milliner Elvis Pompilio and jewelry designer Karen Wuytens, they learned how to transform their imaginative ideas, ideas they believed to be impossible to produce, into 3D reality.
Heads Full of Ideas… Without the Tool to Create Them…
In design programs around the world, people learn how to harness their imaginations with the objective of creating products and services that can ultimately change our lives. And they learn, with great frustration, that their ideas are limited by the tools that are available to bring them to life. But what about those other ideas? The ones that can’t be made in a traditional way? Should they simply be forgotten?
A Match Made in Creative Heaven: i.materialise and Elvis Pompilio
In September 2011, ten designers were selected to join i.materialise, hat designer Elvis Pompilio, and jewelry designer Karen Wuytens at the .MGX Flagship store in Brussels, for a workshop that would forever change their creative lives. Over two days, they received an introduction to 3D printing, and some special guidance as they each designed their own unique jewelry pieces. They learned to set aside traditional design methodologies, and to focus on forms that before they could only imagine but not produce. They discovered that with 3D printing, almost any creative idea is possible.
Seeing Dreams Become 3D Reality
A week after the workshop, the ten participants paid a special visit to the Materialise headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. Not only did they see the wide range of materials available, and the 3D printers in action, but they also saw first-hand, their own designs being brought to life. It was an experience they would never forget. Since then, they’ve never looked back. Thanks to i.materialise, 3D printing has become a standard part of their design repertoire, and they no longer understand the phrase “you can’t make that”.
