Daniel Hilldrup, artist in residence at the London Metropolitan University, recently unveiled new artwork in a series titled “Fragments in Time.” Two pieces, Flux and Aquiform in Rest, were produced by Objet Ltd. on an Objet Connex 3D Printer, a system designed to print multiple materials and properties in a single print run.

Daniel Hilldrup, artist in residence at the London Metropolitan University, recently unveiled new artwork in a series titled “Fragments in Time.” Two pieces, Flux and Aquiform in Rest, were produced by Objet Ltd. on an Objet Connex 3D Printer, a system designed to print multiple materials and properties in a single print run.
“Necessity being the mother of invention, I’m often influenced and motivated by technology, so I keep an ear to the ground for new technologies,” Hilldrup says. “It was the Objet Connex technology that inspired these pieces. For example, without the multi-material aspect it would not have been possible to print the Flux candelabra, and if I was to produce it via traditional methods—casting it in a block of glass—it would be a very difficult thing to achieve, and there would be a loss of control over the final piece.”
Flux depicts black candle wax melting into the liquid base of a candelabra, captured, like a fossil, at a specific moment in time. The fluid wax was printed in Objet TangoBlackPlus, rubber-like material, which gives the element the appearance of melting into liquid, but it is in fact encased in a solid base of Objet VeroClear a transparent, rigid material. The removable candle holders were printed separately in Objet VeroBlack, a rigid, opaque, black material. Hilldrup finished the pieces by hand, polishing the surfaces to achieve desired clarity. Aquiform in Rest is a free-standing sink basin possessing a sculptural form. As its name suggests, it captures the motion of agitated water within a constrained volume. Printed in Objet clear transparent material, it has been finished with a two-pack polyurethane paint.
“My interest is the creation of functional sculpture and innovative object forms where there is an emphasis on the aesthetic and narrative of a piece, but not at the expense of usability. I wish to explore the boundaries between art and design by embracing digital tools, manufacturing technologies and through associated process pipelines and craft.”