Rising Sun Avenue
Large-format 3D printing in socially engaged contemporary art.
A Paweł Althamer project for Wolskie Centrum Kultury and TR Warszawa
“Rising Sun Avenue” is an art project by Paweł Althamer dedicated to Belarusian opposition activists, journalists, and artists persecuted by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. The work was developed with Wolski Centre of Culture and TR Warszawa. The installation symbolically commemorates the fight for freedom, democracy, and solidarity with Belarus, and its model was shown in Warsaw as a preview of a future public-space realization.
From 3D scan to pixelated shell
The starting point was a set of 3D scans of posed figures. Those scans were transformed into open, pixelated shells — forms suspended between figuration and a digital trace of presence. This approach merged memory, symbolism, and a contemporary formal language. In practical terms, it meant preserving the character of the scan while preparing geometry that could be produced reliably at a large scale.
Production in large segments
To keep the surface as consistent as possible and minimize the visibility of technical seams, we printed the sculpture in the largest practical sections. The project was produced in Noctuo PETG on the Monkeyfab print farm. Because of the scale, the segmentation and assembly plan had to be precise without weakening the final visual impact of the work.
A sculpture intended for public space
The final installation was conceived as an object for public space — readable from a distance, yet still powerful in close contact. In this project, 3D printing was not only a manufacturing tool but also a medium that helped shape the final artistic language of the piece.
