Mô hình Trebuchet (Cái bẫy) của Marcel Duchamp

This model is one of the collection Prêt à Faire: Printable Readymade Models

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL

Trebuchet, also known as Trap, is a readymade sculpture from 1917 by Marcel Duchamp.

The title refers to a strategy in chess, a game that Marcel Duchamp played obsessively (at one point, he “gave up” making art for chess, though that turned out to be a ruse).

Deciding on how to interpret this work in model form proved to be challenging. The original, like many of the Readymades, was lost. Duchamp created an edition in the 1960s based on the original, and in my research, we can note the highly abstracted nature of the replica hooks. The original hook was quite a common casting, which is even now readily available as architectural salvage. So, in this instance, I decided to model my work on one of those instead of the edition.

Find out more about the work at:

• Helen Molesworth, Work Avoidance: The Everyday Life of Marcel Duchamp's Readymades

• Trebuchet at the Pompidou Centre

• Kristina Seekamp at Tout Fait

Detail of a photo of Marcel Duchamp's NYC studio, 1917

Image enhancement by Rhonda Roland Shearer

Paris, Pompidou Center, 1964 edition

Salvage hardware from the same era as the original

Unlike some of the models I've created in this series, I didn't have to make many changes to accommodate the 3D printing process.

PRINTING NOTES

Creating the print is a pretty straightforward process. Refer to the images to see my recommended orientation for printing. The hook does require support, and in this case, I'm suggesting organic.

The model can be printed at 50% scale on the XL or down to 25% on the MK3 or 4. I don't recommend scaling smaller than this.

In the case of the work illustrated here, it was printed full-size by cutting the board element in the slicer in a manner that hides the joint behind one of the mounted hooks. I also used ulfben's wood grain modifier to suggest wood grain in this print.

Recommended materials:

• SUNLU Wood Fiber PLA for the board

• Prusament Galaxy Black PLA for the hooks

My general settings:

• Print Settings: 0.2mm Structural

• Filament: Generic PLA or Prusament PLA as appropriate

• Printer: Prusa MK4 or Prusa XL as appropriate

• Supports: Everywhere (for the hooks)

• Infill: 10% for the wood, 100% for the hooks

• Brim: None

• Advanced settings:

  • Layers and perimeters: all defaults

  • Infill: Gyroid fill pattern, Concentric top and bottom fill pattern

  • Support material: Organic

Stats for the full-scale print:

• Total material used: 

  • ~221 grams for wood

  • ~64 grams for black

• Total time: ~17 hours 30 minutes

• Total number of build plates: 2

ASSEMBLY NOTES

• If using the hidden seam board model as described above, give the joint a careful, level sanding, then bind together with Gloop.

• Align the slots on the rear of each hook with the tabs on the board and affix with a fast-drying super glue.

PRESENTATION NOTES

With the Readymades, context can be everything. Duchamp famously nailed Trebuchet to the floor, with a rotation and displacement that usurps the function and changes the "meaning" of the object. In the case of a full-scale print, a similar placement on the floor would be appropriate. A smaller-scale version might only get stepped on! Either way, the work can be rotated so the hooks are lifting up out of a horizontal, flat board in a way that definitely does NOT suggest hanging a coat...

CHANGE LOG

17 DEC: Added a 3MF file featuring a board model with modifiers, split as described above to create a hidden seam for a full-scale print.

9 DEC: Re-wrote the description for clarity and consistent formatting across the Prêt à Faire collection. Added images of a full-scale print with a wood grain modifier.

8 OCT: I've created prototype prints in white PLA to test for fit, and the model works well. A photo is now included in the images.