Engineering Victory
Carbon Fiber, Epoxy, Aluminium, and Stainless Steel. 2010.
Inspired by/a tribute to Boccioni, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, and F1 cars; an experiment with modern computer-enhanced design and manufacturing methods.
Exhibition View from 'Junior Independent Work 2010' at Princeton University
The sculpture, on a white-washed pedestal, is surrounded by the molds used in its manufacture.
Manufacturing Process
The molds are manufactured using a 3D-printing process combined with fiberglass strengthening, while the frame is friction-fit assembled from laser-cut aluminum 6061. The rectangular base is hand-machined stainless steel.
Carbon fiber is a still relatively exotic material that is used extensively in demanding applications where the highest strength-to-weight ratios are desired - for example, in high-end sports cars or military airplanes. By wrapping carbon fiber 'bodywork' over a light-weight, aluminum frame, and using rapid-prototyping and modern CAD-assisted manufacturing techniques, the sculptural act here emulates the process of modern engineering design; this rendering of Victory, the Classical goddess, then, embodies its modern meaning, and becomes a tribute, a testament, to (mechanical) engineering, to the insatiable and innately-human need to push boundaries and go faster and higher and further...