>> >>ANGELA CARONE: THESE SCULPTURES ARE PT
IN A MUSEUM COLLECTION, WHAT LOOKS LIKE BRONZE
OR STONE IS ACTUALLY PLASTIC.
THESE SCULPTURES WERE ALL MADE BY COSMO WENMAN,
USING A CONSUMER GRADE 3D PRINTER.
>> >>: THIS PARTICULAR PIECE IS, UM, CALLED
HEAD OF A HORSE OF CELINA.
IT'S IN A CORNER OF THE ROOF OF THE PARKING
LOT ITSELF.
THE ORIGINAL IS IN WHITE MARBLE.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: THESE HORSE HEADS ARE
BIGGER THAN WHAT IS NORMALLY PRINTED ON THESE
MACHINES.
>> >>: I DECIDED TO CUT THE DESIGN INTO A
BUMP OF DIFFERENT PIECES.
THIS IS ACTUALLY 29 SEPARATE PIECES I PRINTED
INDIVIDUALLY AND ASSEMBLED.
AND THESE ARE BOTH LIFE SIZE, ONE TO ONE WITH
THE ORIGINAL.
THEY BOTH WEIGH ABOUT EIGHT POUNDS EACH, AND
MAYBE ABOUT 150DOLLARS WORTH OF MATERIAL.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: WE ASKED WENMAN TO SHOW
US HOW THE PRINTER WORKS.
WE DECIDED TO MAKE A SMALL VERSION OF AN ARTWORK
SAN DIEGANS ARE FAMILIAR WITH.
>> >>: WE'RE MAKING A MINIATURE TEST PRINT
OF BARBARA HELPWORTH'S 1960 FIGURE FOR LANDSCAPE
WHICH IS AT THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: HE BEGINS BY PHOTOGRAPHING
THE ART HE'S SELECTED.
>> >>: WHEN I'M TAKING THE PHOTOS, I TAKE
LOW ANGLES, MEDIUM ANGLES, HIGH ANGLES OF
THE ENTIRE� ALL THREE 60 SIDES SO I CAN
GET EVERY DETAIL.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: WENMAN HAS PHOTOGRAPHED
IN MUSEUMS HERE IN THE STATES AND IN EUROPE.
SOMETIMES HIGH HE TAKES UP TO A THOUSAND PHOTOGRAPHS
OF JUST ONE SCULPTURE, WHICH HAS DRAWN THE
ATTENTION OF MUSEUM SECURITY GUARDS.
>> >>: THEY'RE USED TO SEEING ENTHUSIASTIC
PHOTOGRAPHERS, I IMAGINE I MIGHT LOOK LIKE
A PARTICULARLY NUTTY ONE TAKING A LOT MORE
PHOTOS THAN MOST.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: THE PHOTOGRAPHS GET RUN
THROUGH A SOFTWARE PROGRAM THAT CREATE AS
VIRTUAL 3D DESIGN THE PRINTER CAN READ.
THAT INFORMATION IS PUT ON A MEMORY CARD WHICH
IS INSERTED INTO THIS 3D PRINTER.
TURN IT ON, AND IT STARTS BUILDING.
>> >>: THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A HOT GLUE GUN
ON A PRINTER ACCESS, IT CAN MOVE LEFT, RIGHT,
UP AND DOWN, FORWARD AND BACK.
THERE'S PLASTIC FEEDING DOWN TO IT FROM ABOVE
ON A SPOOL.
AND IT'S DEPOSITING THE PLASTIC ON THE LAYER,
ON A PLATFORM, AND IT'S GOING TO MOVE DOWN,
DEPOSIT ANOTHER LAYER, MOVE DOWN, DEPOSIT
ANOTHER LAYER, AND BUILD THIS THING FROM THE
BOTTOM UP.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: BECAUSE THIS IS A SMALL
PRINT IT WAS DONE IN ABOUT 45 MINUTES.
THE HELPWORTH SCULPTURE IS NOT THE KIND OF
ARTWORK WENMAN TYPICALLY PRINTS.
HE MOSTLY STICKS TO ANTIQUITIES, I ASKS HIM
WHY.
>> >>: THERE'S LOTS OF THEM, AND THEY'RE COPYRIGHT
FREE.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: A MUSEUM MAY OWN THE WORK,
BUT IF A COPYRIGHT HAS EXPIRED, ANYONE CAN
CAPTURING IT.
WENMAN IS HOPING THE SMITHSONIAN SHARES INFORMATION
WITH THE PUBLIC SO THEY CAN DOWNLOAD IT.
>> >>: IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO MASK, DIGITIZE
SCULPTURAL ART, AND PEOPLE WILL DOWNLOAD WHAT
THEY WANT, AND SHARE WHAT THEY ALREADY LOVE
AND WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO SEE, AND OTHER PEOPLE
WILL REMIX THEM IN INTERESTING NOVEL WAYS.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: WENMAN SAYS 3D COPIES
OF ART WORK OFFER PLENTY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
>> >>: JUST TO BE ABLE TO HAVE HANDS ON ACCESS
TO A MODEL WHETHER IT'S AN ART HISTORY CLASS
OR AN ART CLASS, OR A HISTORY CLASS, OR NOW
I CAN FINALLY SHOW MY ART STUDENTS THIS MODEL
UP CLOSE WHERE I WOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY 500DOLLARS
FOR A RESIDENT MODEL FROM THE MUSEUM GIFT
STORE.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: WENMAN RECENTLY SHOWED
ONE OF THE PRINTED HORSE HEADS AT THE BIG
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW IN VEGAS.
>> >>: AT ONE POINT, I LOOKED OVER AND I SAW
SOMEBODY ACTUALLY HAD THEIR HANDS ALL OVER
IT.
WAS, LIKE, EXPLORING IT WITH THEIR HANDS.
I'M THINKING, I HOPE THEY DON'T BREAK IT OR
SOMETHING, THEN HE TURNED AROUND AND I REALIZED
HE WAS BLIND.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: THAT WAS AN APPLICATION
WENMAN NEVER THOUGHT OF.
>> >>: THAT PERSON WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO EXPLORE THE ORIGINAL MARBLE IN THE BRITISH
MUSEUM, THAT JUST WOULD NOT HAPPEN.
>> >>ANGELA CARONE: THAT'S WHAT'S SO EXCITING
ABOUT THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
IT CAN INFORM HOW WE INTERACT WITH ART AND
HOW WE PRESERVE THE WORLD'S CULTURAL HERITAGE
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
ANGELA CARONE, KPBS NEWS.
