Thorsten Franck
Digital Soul
A truly Bespoke commission, Thorsten Franck’s Rolls-Royce Phantom Gallery, Digital Soul, is an artistic interpretation of its Patron’s DNA. Thorsten, from Munich, Germany, is a product designer who acts as a conduit between computer-generated design, additive manufacturing and hand-craftsmanship.
Thorsten’s fusion of human endeavour with technology results in a work which juxtaposes the pre-disposed expectations of additive manufacturing and computer generated design by creating an alluring and visually complex fascia for New Phantom, adapting the use of technology to render an artwork as unique as a fingerprint.
Franck begins by capturing the patron’s character in a unique algorithm. This data is then transcribed using the art of 3D printing, forming the largest piece of 3D printed stainless steel featured in a production car, made possible only by this use of additive manufacturing.
Here, traditional artisanal craft blends exquisitely with tomorrow’s production methods. More than one day of polishing produced a work worthy of being plated in 24 carat gold. The work interacts with the changing light of the day, reflecting brilliance whilst casting shadows. The visual characteristics of gold ensure each observer’s experience will be a personal one dictated by their physical position in Phantom and the strength of the sun’s rays or soft glow of the up-lit stage lights on the gold, set within ‘The Gallery’.
Thorsten Franck said of the commission, “Additive manufacturing is often viewed as a convenience or solution. My work embraces this technology and manipulates it to produce a unique work of art that could not be created by man alone. I have mapped an algorithm to interpret your soul. The visual aesthetics of gold change throughout the day by reflecting the light; there is life in this sculpture.”
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