Here are the 3D printed sculptures that honour women who are leaders in science and technology
The art world has paid tribute to many scientists and references in the STEM world, however, it has not done the same with its female counterparts, particularly in the US. Of the 5,000 public statues showing historical figures, less than 400 represent women.
With these figures in mind, the multidisciplinary artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya did research to discover that only 7% of these statues were dedicated to female figures, and she thought she had to do something about it. She decided to go one step further and pay tribute to those women whose contributions have been decisive in areas such as science and technology. So he used Maya 3D design software to create 20 images of professionals who had marked the STEM field forever.
"I just didn't think it was enough to make a visually appealing image that was flat. I wanted to make something more tangible," says Amanda. "It's just another contribution for these women to take the space they deserve. I wanted to bring these women, their work and the way they had impacted the world to life," she added.
The statues stand out for their white tonality as if they were classic sculptures, they are 17 inches high and among them, you can recognize characters like Ada Lovelace, Helen Rodriguez Trias or Tu Youyou.
3D printing was used to convert the images into busts. Phingbodhipakkiya relied on a company in Houston to make its digital designs possible. From the original idea to its production, the process would take eight months, including a post-production phase in which the statues will be sanded and painted.
The sculptures can be seen at the Marjore Barrick Museum of Art in Las Vegas as part of an exhibition by the artist called Connective Tissue. Each has an associated QR code that visitors can scan to read a short biography of each woman. Although the artist is not a big fan of these codes, she recognizes that it is a good way to communicate who these figures were to the public and how they influenced them.
Other projects by the artist
Amanda is also the driving force behind ATOMIC by Design, a fashion and community line for girls and women who have "no qualms about wearing their brains on their sleeves". The line is inspired by the 118 elements of the periodic table and for the creator it is a way to express her love for the STEM world.
In addition, Phingbodhipakkiya has also launched another design project called 'Beyond Curie', which, in a very visual way, celebrates the history of women who have been references in fields such as science and technology. As explained on the project's official website, "Each of the women featured in Beyond Curie has overcome incredible obstacles and faced countless challenges over decades in the pursuit of knowledge, understanding and impact. We owe them our respect.
