Duncan Carter
Part of an ongoing series using custom optics to sketch with light, 10,000 Tiny Suns (2024) is an agglomeration of compound lenses entangled with a fibrous scaffolding that simultaneously cradles and restrains. Inspired by the possibilities enabled by 3D printed lenses and the ubiquity of simulating the path of light rays in computer graphics, Carter uses optimization algorithms and custom tools to design lens geometries that form images. Produced through a complex algorithmic design and digital fabrication process, which the optics work together in harmony to guide familiar rays into a new shape using light as a medium to form a pointillist composition. The piece draws on the structures and behaviours of trees, interleaving human and natural technologies to form a single specimen.
Duncan Carter (1992) develops objects that embody technologies and natural physical phenomena in fixed forms. His work has a focus on the intersection of algorithmic design and contemporary craft, where nuanced shaping of digital processes can multiply the skill and efforts of the hand. Seeking to navigate his fraught relationship with science, technology and utility, he uses cutting edge techniques to create works that reflect upon the underlying mechanics of both human and natural worlds. Much as how figurative arts explore nature’s image, Carter explores nature’s functionality as a medium.
Holding degrees in engineering, computer science and design from the University of Birmingham, Imperial College London and Royal College of Art, Carter has worked on a broad range of creative projects. From installations and public sculpture to patented inventions, academic papers and mass-produced products, his work has been shown at exhibitions including London Design Festival, Milan Design Week and Dutch Design Week, as well as the Science Museum and the V&A.