This past Tuesday I dropped by the New York International Gift Fair to say hi to our friends from Nervous System, Jessica and Jesse, and to get a pulse on what’s going on in the gifts and crafts world. Nervous System’s beautifully delicate, mathematical work seemed to be gaining plenty of attention, even on a day when the convention center was mostly empty thanks to icy, rainy NY weather. With extra touches, like necklaces hung on orange and white wall pieces faceted to resemble the shape of minerals, the scene was really striking. 

      

I asked what else I should check out and they mentioned that there was one other artist at the Gift Fair who works with 3D printing. Jessica helped me find GDG Studios‘ booth, a jewelry and home decor shop that specializes in a blend of hand crafted and digitally manufactured products. Joe Gower, GDG’s founder (pictured below on the right), showed me their collection including their vibrantly colored, highly unique “digital bracelets.” I was very excited to learn that Joe and his team are heavy Shapeways users, and I urged him to keep in touch and give plenty of feedback.

      

It was great to be able to connect up with old Shapeways friends, and to serendipitously meet community members for the first time. I was also glad, in the big picture, to see personal manufacturing slowly becoming more pervasive. I’m looking forward to checking out NYIGF one year from now, and seeing how the number of artists using digital fabrication changes, and increases!