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Alessia Romani

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Cicatr/ci

"Scars" - The art of restarting



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Cicatr/ci

3D printing and sculpting art for individual and collective expression

Research collaboration


  • 📅 · Period:
    Oct 2017 – Oct 2018 // June 2021 – Oct 2021

  • 💰 · Collaboration:
    Research collaboration, Il Bullone, Fondazione Near Onlus.

  • 🏛 · Main facility:
    +LAB, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

  • 🤝 · Partners:
    1 academic/industrial partner and 1 non-profit organization, Italy (fabrication and manufacturing focus). More partners and follow-up are listed here.

  • ⭐ · My Role:
    Master Thesis Student, Artist (2018 edition), 3D printing specialist - large format 3D printing (2021 edition)

  • 🏫 · My Affiliation:
    Master Thesis Student in Design & Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano (Italy) (2018 edition) Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano (Italy) (2021 edition)

  • 🏷️ · Keywords:
    3D printing, sculpting, Codesign, arts, exhibition, collaboration, large-format 3D printing, sculpture, venus, david, artwork, expression, visual media, 3d modeling, parametric design.


Overview

Cicatr/ci is an art and research collaboration between +Lab, the 3D printing research laboratory of Politecnico di Milano, and Il Bullone and Fondazione NEAR Onlus, a national Italian non-profit organization for adolescents and young adults living with chronic diseases. The project explores 3D printing and sculpting as tools for individual and collective expression, translating the lived experience of illness and scars into sculptural artworks. In its 2018 edition, the project resulted in a collection of 45 small-scale sculptures, co-designed with B.Livers (members of the Il Bullone community), exhibited at La Triennale di Milano and later at additional venues, including the Gallery of Modern Art in Catania (2019) and the European Management Forum in Amsterdam (2020), with the collection currently featured on Google Arts & Culture. In its 2021 edition ("L'arte di ripartire"), the project shifted to large-format Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) 3D printing, in collaboration with SuperForma, fabricating two-meter-scale sculptures inspired by the Venus of Milo and Michelangelo's David, exhibited again at La Triennale di Milano, showing the force of restarting shared by communities and groups after Covid-19.

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Project partners

+LAB, Politecnico di Milano (IT) 🇮🇹
SuperForma (IT) 🇮🇹 (2021 edition)
Il Bullone, Fondazione NEAR Onlus - National Italian non-profit organization for adolescents and young adults living with chronic diseases (IT) 🇮🇹


Team members

2018 edition
Artist: Giuditta Ravalli
+LAB Team: Marinella Levi, Alessia Romani, Francesco Basciu, Andrea Mantelli, Valerio Fausti
B.Livers: More info available here

2021 edition
Artist: Giuditta Ravalli
+LAB Team: Marinella Levi, Alessia Romani, Angelo Zappalà
B.Livers: More info available here
In collaboration with SuperForma

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My contribution (2018 edition):

  • Design: Participated in ideation workshops with +Lab and BLive members; working on one artwork ideation. Worked on concept development and design of the one artwork (A-byss) using parametric design tools for sculpting.
  • Additive manufacturing: Prototyped and fabricated a full artwork using using low-cost Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing, crafting, and painting techniques. Supported the fabrication of other artworks designed by the other participants, especially for the 3D printing fabrication.
  • Graphics & visual: Designed graphic materials for promotional material of the first exhibition at La Triennale Milano (2018) and organization of the catalog drafts.
  • Dissemination: Participation in community outreach events.

My contribution (2021 edition):

  • Additive manufacturing: Prototyped and fabricated two full artwork using using large-scale Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) and low-cost Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. Working on the slicing and cutting techniques to fabricate support-free large-format parts for the 2-meter size artworks.
  • Dissemination: Research publications.
[Gallery picture]
[Gallery picture]
[Gallery picture]
[Gallery picture]



Research and dissemination output connected to my work

  • 📚 Publications: 1 Journal Article showcasing part of the components of the 2021 edition.

  • 🎤 Presentations: Work presented at international fairs and industrial events, including Maker Faire Rome 2017 (2017)
  • 📢 Dissemination & outreach: Work presented at art galleries and exhibitions, such as La Triennale in 2018 and 2021, and exhibited at international fairs, including Maker Faire Rome 2017; featured in videos. First collection shared on Google Arts & Culture.



Selected dissemination and media outreach

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Cicatr/ci, La Triennale Milano

A-byss at Cicatrici exhibition, La Triennale Milano 2018 (Oct 18-28, 2018)

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All the life of a scar (Tutta la vita di una cicatrice)

Corriere della Sera - La Lettura (Oct 2018) - Italian newspress
[YouTube video]

CICATR/CI - teaser (Scars - teaser)

Video of the first edition of Cicatr/ci (2018 edition) speaking about the collaboration between +LAB and B.Livers



Publications from the project

Journal articles

Other outputs from the project

Artworks

Exhibition catalogs