Google Arts and Culture unveils 3D-printed vases

Mumbai, Feb 19

Google Arts and Culture on Monday unveiled 10 3D-printed ceramic vases at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) museum here to mark the culmination of its ‘Future Relics’ project — the first-ever lab experiment in India.

The “Future Relics” project, which was announced in November 2017, blends ancient craft and modern technology to build relics for the future.
It was conceptualized as part of the landmark “India and the World: A History in Nine Stories,” exhibition in association with the CSMVS.
The project revealed words such as mobile, car, computer, books, can, utensils, spectacles, plastic, gold and soil as the most popular cultural objects of the future that people want to be remembered for.
These 10 keywords, 3D printed on the ceramic vases, are based on each word contributed by visitors in response to the question: “What object would you like archaeologists 1,000 years from now to remember our present day culture by?”.
“We are proud to be part of the landmark exhibition with CSMVS. The idea was to engage with the visitors directly through an interactive installation about how they want our everyday culture today to be remembered in the future,” Simon Rein, Programme Manager at Google Arts and Culture, said in a statement.
The vases were designed digitally, 3D printed using customised technology, and were glazed by Padma Shri Brahmdeo Ram Pandit, a ceramic artist.
The vases personify the concept of shared artifacts created by thousands of diverse voices in Hindi, Marathi and English, and blends ancient craft and modern technology to build relics for the future.
“We are very happy to be engaged in a project where cutting-edge future technology is married perfectly with the contemporary glazing style and traditional kiln firing process. This is definitely pushing the ability of artistic creation!” Pandit said.
The “Future Relics” project brings artists and engineers together to explore new ways to experience art and experiment with art and technology.
In India, Google Arts and Culture has partnered with over 50 cultural institutions to bring digital exhibits capturing India’s rich culture and art exhibits with over 250 national monuments from World Heritage Sites.
Users all around the world can explore these on the Google Art and Culture website and mobile app for free.