Dutch artist Joris Laarman is showing a selection of his digitally driven works at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery in Bits and Crafts (May 1 to June 14), an exhibition that explores the impact of digital technology on design.

Works are created by his Amsterdam-based lab, a group of engineers, scientists and craftsmen investigating the applications of 3D printing, robotics, parametric software and CNC (computer numeric control) systems for design and fabrication. 

The pieces in the Maker Furniture collection are made from numerous components engineered to fit together like a 3D puzzle. Mixing different materials such as resin and wood in several tessellating shapes creates interesting patterns across the surface of the chairs and tables. In creating the Maker Chair Laarman has opened up the design process, asking for contributors to suggest iterations that improve the design. For example, the original version required 202 separate pieces while the most recent requires only 77. For more on the increase of crowd-sourcing and open approaches to manufacture, see Design Democracy: Outsider. 

Also on show are a series of Spirographic works produced using the MX3D, an innovative 3D printer designed by the Joris Laarman Lab. It prints with molten stainless steel, building layers to create complex forms without the need for a support structure underneath. The printed shapes are based on algorithms and non-repetitive parametric units so that all shapes are unique.

This method really pushes the boundaries of how objects and forms can be created. For further inspiration see Design Direction A/W 15-16 Intervene, a trend underpinned by experimental and creative approaches to manufacture.