3-D Printed Statues in Central Park Shine a Light on Women Scientists | Hacker News Reader

3-D Printed Statues in Central Park Shine a Light on Women Scientists

nautil.us

11 pointsdnetesn16 comments

Hopefully there's a sane way to recover/recycle the plastic used in these kinds of larger prints, especially if it starts to see widespread commercial application— thinking character statues in cinema lobbies to replace cardboard cutouts. I suppose it's nothing compared to all the plastic popcorn buckets and drink lids, but it still feels like it would be significant if they were printing a new display for each new major release.

Really? People are trying to raise awareness of underrepresented people and your concern is about the plastic they used for a few statues? So we should use cardboard for statues of black people while all the white dudes get stone and metal?

I think it's great; I said that elsewhere in the thread. I'm just acknowledging that should this become a more widespread trend, it would be nice to figure out a full lifecycle for these prints upfront rather than after thousands of them have been sent to landfill.

There isn't a shortage of women who have made huge contributions in STEM. I would think if their goal was to inspire, they would have chosen from them, instead of everyday workers. It strikes me as kind of weird to erect statues of everyday people.

I think they wanted to pick relatable scientists, not just inspirational ones. Ironically, this itself has inspirational effects. I know that I myself was more inspired by stories from average physicists than by Einstein or Feynman. It says that you don't have to be a super-genius or super-lucky to follow your science dreams.

It seems that none of the 6 scientists passed the notability criteria of Wikipedia? I can't seem to find their Wikipedia page.

I would have made more sense to pick famous female scientists maybe?

From the article:

Their subjects are still living. They depict women of color who are working scientists. Their images are intended to inspire girls to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. In the language of the sponsoring project, #IfThenSheCan: “if she can see it, then she can be it.”

More about the goals of the project: https://www.aaas.org/news/125-women-stem-selected-aaas-ifthe...

Overall, it doesn't feel great we delegated these statues to 3d printing.

It's a good start, though. :) And for a temporary, pop-up exhibition, it's neat to demonstrate an application for 3D printing.

A good start to what end? Who gives a shit about 3D printing when it comes to making statues? The point is obviously not to pimp the technology.

The "good start" is that an individual or small group were able to go from concept to display in a shorter period of time with these, and for relatively low cost. Hopefully there's interest and support for redoing one or more of them in permanent materials. I can definitely see this as a more promising start than spending years in committees fighting over the details and funding for a conventional statue that might never see the light of day.

Anyway, this is just a preview— the full exhibition includes 122 such statues. So it's also a good start in that regard. :)

Since when has art been judged on time to creation or volume or cost? This seems to be solving a problem sculpting doesn't have to begin with. I agree that this could be a boon to creation but I hardly see these samples as decent examples....

The point is the art that never has a chance to be judged because it never gets created on account of these barriers.

I consider that an emphatic benefit looking at these statues. Why couldn't they have hired a sculptor?

It is a bad start of a bad trend, erecting statues in of non-notable living people in public spaces by a mob. Even if you ideologically align with this mob you should realise that this trend better stop here and be reversed or the next time you look those statues will be replaced with other ones by another mob which you do not ideologically align with. This will invariably be followed by mob A "defending their statue" against mob B which wants to replace it with "their statue". If this sounds like the sort of game you'd play in school - defend the crown, in Dutch "Levend Stratego", etc - you're right because that is more or less what it is.

Before you know it we'll all be living in Portland, OR. and that is not something you will like, not even if it happens to be your mob which took over the streets. Today, that is, they might be kicked out by another mob tomorrow.

I sort of agree, the artistic element is removed. Also having them cast in fluorescent orange removes a lot of the humanity. Maybe it's a knee-jerk reaction to the novelty but it feels garish.

I fully support having more female statues however.

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