An Army of 3D Printers Immortalizes the Words of Gabriel García Márquez

A 3D-printed sea of text, culled from the works of Colombian literary legend Gabriel García Márquez, emerges in interactive mixed-media installation Crossing The States of The Word. Working in unison, a team of artists man an army of 50 3D printers in order to reproduce over 7,000 words from the well-loved pages of the author’s short stories, poems, and novels. Hinting at Márquez's own inclinations towards the unexpected, the artwork even extends beyond the physical world and into the realm of virtual reality. Behind the 3D word-sculptures, a video display from interactive website Los Estados de la Palabra allows users to travel into a CGI world of texts from the renowned author.

Crossing The States of The Word forms part of the International Contemporary Art Fair (ARCO) in Madrid, and was initiated by the Colombian Embassy in Spain in conjunction with telecommunication company, Telefónica. In addition to celebrating the late master of magical realism, the project serves as a visual metaphor for the cultural connection between Spain and Colombia.

Crossing The States Of The Word opens today at ARCO but will continue to travel after the festival closes on March 1 as an interactive language workshop throughout schools in Colombia and Spain. Learn more on ARCO’s website.

Via 3DPrint

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