Hacker News Reader

Comment by Calwestjobs | Hacker News Reader

Most annoying thing about this art is that i can see how these small parts can be manufactured by machines in huge quantities quite easily. And so when we have capability to make such stuff, why don't we? Is it crisis in schooling, in our world view? Also with other kind of arts, why dont we have it more in our lives?

View on HN

Who is "we"? The purpose isn't scaling up.

I sometimes think that the "hypergrowth" segment of the population will efficiency-hack everything until either they all, or perhaps the rest of us, have left our meatspace bodies behind and simply exist as a series of Docker containers

Who has the kubectl credentials to humanity?

Yeah, I don’t see a purpose behind mass-producing these. The beauty of these pieces is the intent and craftsmanship that went into it. You can 3D scan the works of Michelangelo or print out a Mona Lisa but what’s the point?

What’s good for mass-production is utility pieces, not art.

I think the bent and “through” pieces would be quite difficult to make and assemble in bulk. You could produce something sort-of similar with laser cut or maybe stamped pieces but the grain would be all wrong and you would need to deal with charring in the case of the laser. So maybe this would not be so easy to mass-manufacture and still have it look impressive.

The bending might be difficult. But the through pieces are easily done by hand on a table saw with a simple jig. Making that fully CnC seems easy.

There are a lot of artists out there who are doing work with a similar vibe by stacking up multiple layers of laser-cut matte board. Usually these have gallery-ready prices.

You can buy kits of thin sheets of metal that are intricately die-cut, and assemble into little sculptures of trains and buildings and bugs and whatnot.

But who can afford to buy anything any more?

Arguably, the crisis in schooling would be addressed by teaching woodworking in schools as the Northern Europeans traditionally have:

https://rainfordrestorations.com/category/woodworking-techni...

>Students may never pick up a tool again, but they will forever have the knowledge of how to make and evaluate things with your hand and your eye and appreciate the labor of others

That said, the problem is much the same as for Lego bricks:

- warehousing is expensive

- sorting and kitting and packaging add up

with the added problem of assembly can't be off-loaded to the purchaser, and shipping an assembled panel ramps up the packaging and shipping costs, to say nothing of the need for insurance to cover damage when shipping.

> why don't we have it more in our lives?

That is up to you. I have it in my life. Lots of others do to. Most of us here are fairly privileged and get to choose how we spend multiple hours each day.

And young kids will emulate their parents. Want your kids to read? Read. Want you kids to go outside? Go outside. Want your kids to make art? Make art.

If you want a machine-made masterpiece, buy an iPhone. The intricacy of a modern CPU far exceeds this woodwork.

Mass producing these would be like hiring a print shop to send a “I love you” note to a million random humans. It misses the point.

Because usig them is expensive. Using a nail gun or supeglue is cheaper.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com