Upcycling project plan
For my upcycling project, I am interested in turning 3D printing organic ‘tree’ supports into a forest / mountain diorama. These tree supports resemble roots or branches and normally start from a central ‘trunk’ point. These tree supports are almost always thrown in the trash, contributing to plastic waste. I believe they could be used to create an artistic piece that is both visually stunning and metaphorically pertinent.

The aesthetic of this artistic piece could fall into a couple of different categories. If I were to paint all of these tree supports brown and put a substantial amount of effort into adding brush or leaves, then I can picture this falling into a fantasy diorama aesthetic, something that resembles scenes or sets from early 2000s Lord of the Rings style pieces. If I were to leave them in their unpainted, color ambiguous state, I can see this falling into a kind of apocalyptic or dystopian aesthetic, where these trees of conflicting plastic colors could resemble a forest of times past.

Either way, this feature will unfortunately not be functional in any way besides being art. However, its ‘function’ might be to reduce plastic waste as my goal is to create as few of these tree supports on my own as possible. I intend on putting bins in whatever makerspace that will let me with the goal of having people trying to detach and dispose of their print’s intact tree supports. This may prove difficult, as these supports can tend to get destroyed during the removal process, and expecting people to take more time out of their day to accommodate my project might be unreasonable.
Either way, my hope is that this project will be geometrically beautiful and a source of introspection about the ethics of the massive amounts of plastic used in 3D printing. I have multiple 3D printers myself, and have sometimes fell victim to the printing of ‘useless objects’. These could be considered single use products, things that are cool for a few minutes and get thrown away, or benchmark prints that are immediately disposed of. This trend is increasing within the 3D printing community, where I see countless models uploaded to the internet that truthfully I don’t picture staying out of the trash for more then a year. With how common and accessible 3D printing is getting, I see a real future where filament waste becomes a significant contributor to global plastic waste, especially if it is not recycled.

I am still actively exploring this aesthetic and am actively seeking suggestions for how I could make this project better. Please share your thoughts on what aesthetic you think is the most applicable!
1 Comment. Leave new
This is a really interesting concept, both artistically and sustainably. Repurposing 3D print supports into something visually compelling instead of throwing them away highlights the growing issue of plastic waste in 3D printing. Sourcing discarded supports from others adds another layer to the project, even if collecting intact ones might be a challenge.
Both aesthetics you are considering have merit. The fantasy diorama could make the tree-like supports feel intentional, while the raw, unpainted look would reinforce the message about plastic waste. Looking forward to the future progress of your work!