Jordan Shaw

Technically Natural is a study of the relationship between technology, nature and our surroundings. Technically Natural consists of two objects, the first being a 3D printed representation of the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of the St. Lawrence and the second object is a negative relief of those bodies of water. Using a set of maps printed by the Canadian Hydrographic Services, the depths of the waterways were gathered. The depth information has been referenced and used as an influence when developing the concept as well as a technical guide during the execution phases of the project.

Our culture's obsession with technology often overlooks or downplays the importance of raw materials and our dependencies on natural resources for supporting these advancements. Technically Natural explores the process of contemporary manufacturing with traditional materials while offering areas for interpretation between technically advanced techniques influencing and shaping materials in ways that have never been possible in the past. Using these techniques, these significant bodies of water were recreated to exemplify how our surroundings and behaviour are shaped by by what nature has to offer. The St. Lawrence Seaway is relied upon heavily for international shipping routes that have been and still are pivotal to the Canadian economy and its international trade. Everything we manufacture is dependent on, and in some way reliant on the available raw materials. Technically Natural plays with this idea by pairing materials that are abundantly available within Canada and often get exported internationally to create a model of the St. Lawrence body of water. Shipping is one of the oldest forms of transportation, yet it is still heavily relied upon today. The process of manufacturing Technically Natural strengthens the study on our dependencies on raw materials in such a technologically advanced society by using contemporary manufacturing technology such as 3D printing, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) router and LASER engraving. These advanced tool-sets still depend on what materials are being used to create the end object.

Process