The researcher’s previous experience suggested the use of computer-based
design and fabrication tools might enable new models of practice that yield a
greater integration between the 3D art and design disciplines. A critical,
contextual review was conducted to assess what kinds of objects are being
produced by art and design practitioners; what the significant characteristics of
these objects might be; and what technological, theoretical and contextual
frameworks support their making. A survey of international practitioners was
undertaken to establish how practitioners use these tools and engage with other
art and design disciplines. From these a formalised system of analysis was
developed to derive evaluative criteria for these objects.
The researcher developed a curatorial framework for a public exhibition and
symposium that explored the direction that art and design practitioners are
taking in relation to computer-based tools. These events allowed the researcher
to survey existing works, explore future trends, gather audience and peer
response and engage the broader community of interest around the field of
enquiry. Interviews were conducted with practitioners whose work was
included in this exhibition and project stakeholders to reveal patterns and
themes relevant to the theoretical framework of this study.
A model of the phases that practitioners go through when they integrate
computer-based tools into their practice was derived from an existing
technology adoption model. Also, a contemporary version of R. Krauss’s ‘Klein
Group’ was developed that considers developments in the field from the use of
digital technologies. This was used to model the context within which the
researcher’s practice is located. The research identifies a form of ‘technologyled-
practice’ and an increased capacity for a ‘transdisciplinary discourse’ at the
intersection of disciplinary domains. This study will be of interest to
practitioners from across the 3D art and design disciplines that use computerbased
tools