3D-HAND. Layered Poesy by Liu Xin

Artist list

Xin Liu

This project directly engages with the impact of digital technology on traditional handcraft, not with opposition, but intending to create an interface for dialogue between the two. Inspired by Tim Ingold's philosophy of "making as growing," Xin Liu approaches creation as a continuous "entangled conversation" between the artist and the material. Technically, the project extracts a core logic of growth—inherent in the additive manufacturing process of 3D printing—and transplants it into traditional metalsmithing techniques, such as soldering. This enables the natural emergence of form atop a plaster base.
 
In practice, the artist first hand-sculpts a layered plaster support. Following the contours of these forms, tiny copper rings are soldered and connected one after another, forming a multi-layered structure where the inner and outer parts blend seamlessly. The work thus becomes a profound expression of “entanglement”, where the contingency of materials and the immediacy of manual work converge, enabling solder marks and the structure itself to capture instant emotions and decisions. In this way, the work is endowed with the unique warmth of “bodily presence.”
 
More than a technical experiment, this project is a conceptual statement. It posits that hand craftsmanship in the digital age is not the antithesis of technology, but rather a growing entity that constantly expands its expressive boundaries by absorbing new modes of thought.