In January 2025, In Real Life, will showcase the collaborative efforts of over 20 artists from the Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Art in London, and the Art Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. This innovative project explores the boundaries of object manipulation, 3D scanning technology, and digital reinterpretation, blending the physical and digital realms to redefine traditional art-making practices.
The exhibition features work created through the use of cutting-edge 3D scanning, printing, and experimental metal casting techniques (including bronze and aluminum). Artists from both institutions have employed these technologies to reproduce, distort, scale, and transform ordinary objects—ranging from toys and burgers to clay models, drawings, and paintings.
By employing digital outputs to reinterpret physical objects, the artists have intentionally blurred the line between the real and the imagined, producing works that are constantly in flux.
Rather than arriving at a resolved or final object, In Real Life emphasizes process over outcome. The project focuses on the fluidity of creation, with objects and their digital counterparts continuously evolving through collaborative exchanges.
Participants have shared and reinterpreted files, images, and data, exploring how technology can re-mold and recontextualize familiar forms.
These dynamic exchanges highlight the potential for digital and physical media to engage in a constant dialogue, where objects can be endlessly reshaped, multiplied, and reimagined.
“The emphasis is on the transformation of objects through technology,” says Matt Franks, one of the curators of the project.
“There’s no notion of a finished object in this exhibition. It’s about how objects—through the use of 3D scanning, printing, and casting—can be re-envisioned and remade again and again, all while creating new meanings.” says Daniel Giroux one of the curators of the project.
In Real Life will be presented at Chelsea College of Arts in London and the University of Nevada, Reno, creating a truly transatlantic conversation in contemporary art.
The participating artists include students and faculty from both institutions, collaborating across time zones and borders to produce a truly global response to the influence of technology in artistic practice.