Mô hình 50cc Khí Paris của Marcel Duchamp

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

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL

This is a challenging model of a Readymade created in 1919 by Marcel Duchamp. A description from the Philadelphia Museum of Art website: 

Duchamp purchased this "empty" ampoule from a pharmacist in Paris as a souvenir for his close friend and patron, Walter C. Arensberg. A vial with nothing in it may be the most insubstantial "work of art" imaginable. From a molecular point of view, air is not considered nothing, but when displayed so carefully in an art museum it seems to be less than one might expect. Its precise meaning was rendered even more unstable in 1949, when the ampoule was accidentally broken and repaired, thus begging the question: Is the air even from Paris anymore?

Find out more about this work at:

• Kristina Seekamp at Tout Fait

Images of the work and selected replicas:

Philadelphia
1919 original

Pompidou Center, Paris
1964 replica

Moderna Museet, Stockholm
1974 replica

The model differs from the 1919 original to optimize it for resin printing. It is created at full size and should not be scaled.

PRINTING NOTES

This is a tricky print! I have created a model that prints successfully in resin. It remains elusive to capture a model that fully expresses the form of the original in filament — but you are welcome to try!

These are the following options for printing:

• There is a SOLID version of the model in STL, which you are free to experiment with.

• There is a HOLLOW version of the file, which prints with a drain opening. The wall thickness for this print is 2.5mm, which was the thickness at which I began to see post-cure distortions disappear. This print includes a LABEL model that plugs the hole, making the surface appear to be closed.

ASSEMBLY NOTES

Images of that second file illustrate how the label sets in the hole. There is much post-processing still to do to smooth out the support nubs and create transparency with a finish coat:

In MY case, after post-processing, it will have trapped some “Philadelphia Air,” so perhaps the title of the work should change accordingly? A finished print is illustrated in the title images. This is one of the ONLY files in the collection that involves post-processing... It's the exception that proves the rule!

My process for finishing:

• I sanded down support scars with 400, then 800, then 1000, and finally 2000 grit files.

• I used Deluxe Materials Looks Like Glass to finish the interior and exterior of the ampoule.

  • For the interior, I simply poured the material in the hole, plugged it, then slowly turned the ampoule to cover the entire surface, pouring it out when finished.

  • For the exterior, I dipped the hook and let it dry upside down by suspending it from the hole

  • Then I turned it over to hang by the dry hook and coated the exterior liberally with a brush. The material self-levels and drips to a smooth surface. One must take care to dab away droplets when hanging to dry.

• For the label, I used a simple flat enamel primer spray paint, which retained the contrast for the text on the label.

• I super-glued the label into the hole.

PRESENTATION NOTES

Suspended from the ceiling with a wire or monofilament is an obvious way to display the work. In the Philadelphia Museum of Art, home to the original, the work has been displayed resting on a pedestal (perhaps due to its fragility?). Holding it in one's hands is especially nice, and was perhaps Duchamp's original intention as a gift to his friend, a "man who has everything..."

CHANGE LOG

16 DEC: Re-wrote the description for clarity and consistent formatting across the Prêt à Faire collection. Added .chitubox and .ctb files for resin printing. Added images of finished resin print for title images.

13 AUG: I am continuing to improve this model, so watch for updates. As of this edit, I am getting very good results from the hollow version in resin and have published progress photos.