Textscape

Chinese artist Hongtao Zhou creates 3D documents to re-emphasize printing in a modern world. Printing technology was first created in ancient China, where text was reproduced using woodblocks. Today’s definition has evolved with the addition of 3D printing, an additive process used to create objects instead of duplicate text. Textscape generates letter-sized 3D documents to visually profile the subject matter of the texts, such as cities, landscapes, or figures. These documents make the reading process interactive for both the general audience as well as sight-impaired people. The documents can be read as knowledge as well as artwork. This series of work has text variations of braille, different language characters, calligraphies, and number systems, bridging the text to architecture, landscape, and portraits. Other participating artists are Tyler Francisco, Rhealyn Dalere, and Chin Fang Chen from the School of Architecture at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where Hongtao works as a professor.

Images and words courtesy of Hongtao Zhou