RepRap minimug - Curated by Claire Smith and Martin Rieser

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The RepRap minimug is a small sculptural object that has been constructed through 3D print technologies. RepRap minimug was developed for 'Inside/Out', a project curated by Claire Smith and Martin Rieser. The work emerges from an exchange programme between art schools and artist groups in Australia and the UK and explores the boundaries between the virtual and the physical. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: The project references practices within the 'RepRap' community where hobbyists work to develop a 3D printer capable of self replication. The RepRap minimug is a reproduction (with errors) of a small shot glass, the first utilitarian object produced by a RepRap printer. This small shot glass instigated a tradition amongst the RepRap community, by which RepRap builders test and then toast the success of their new machines. Reproduced within an exhibition context, the RepRap minimug possesses a curious mix of machine and DIY aesthetics and emphasises the role that cultural artefacts play in forming social traditions and shaping our visions of the future.RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The Inside/Out exhibition, and RepRap minimug, has toured to numerous international venues including DMU Cube Gallery, Leicester, UK., Righton Gallery, Manchester, UK. and The Poly, Falmouth, UK. The exhibition is the focus of a recent publication by Claire Smith and Martin Rieser titled 'Inside Out: Sculpture in the Digital Age'.