3D printed Butterfly Sculpture
26 January 2021
Description

The Concept Inspired by M.C. Escher’s work, this sculpture is an abstract reflection of one’s self. The entire course of one’s emotional development is displayed as a growing butterfly displaying patterns. Starting from the center and growing and expanding towards the edges, showing you more detail and patterns the closer you look. The Butterfly The development of that single butterfly is represented by 1395 unique butterflies throughout the entire sculpture. Each one different in shape and size and displays a unique moment of growth slightly different than the older or younger one. The patterns that are formed throughout one’s life are represented by the growth of the butterfly’s wings. Throughout its growth each wing starts displaying veins. This seemingly arbitrary development of the individual veins also form clear patterns. However, upon closer look the veins display patterns that are embedded within in the butterfly itself. The Shape While the shape of the sculpture represents one’s emotional growth in certain peaks, it also represents emotional traumas displayed by the sharp cuts through the butterflies. All this is amplified by the irregular sloping surface of the sculpture, pushing the growth upwards and forward and pushing the traumas down and to the back. The continuously changing surface of the sculpture makes it impossible to have the full overview of the development of the 1395 unique butterflies and therefore the overview of one’s self. The Specifics The sculpture consists of 25 uniquely shaped 3D printed pieces assembled together to form the intricate shape of the sculpture. The sculpture itself measures 165cm (5’5”) wide, 100cm (3’3”) tall and over 40cm (1’4”) in depth. From start to finish it took over 2000 hours to design, engineer and produce the sculpture, all done in house.

Provenance

I’m the creator of this sculpture and want to assess its value to make a limited production.

Acquired from
Other
For sale
Yes
Answered within about 14 hours
By Sara S
Jan 27, 01:28 UTC
Fair Market Value
$200 - $500 USD
Insurance Value $0 USD
What does this mean?

Hello Adrian,

Thank you for your appraisal inquiry with Mearto. Unfortunately, fair market value estimates are determined based on previous auction records from the artist or comparable objects. Further, auction records do not reflect prices for retail or private sales. As there are no previous auction records for you, the only estimate we can provide is a general estimate based on similar objects found in the auction market within the last couple of years.

As the 3-D printing sculpture market is quite slim at this point, there are not many examples to compare estimates. However, based on my experience in auction houses and the few examples of 3-D printed sculptures found, I would place a fair market estimate of $200 - 500 on the object. As mentioned previously, fair market estimates are not the same as retail or gallery prices. Thank you and please take care.

Adrian roman Jan 27, 12:40 UTC

Dear Sara,

Is this really the best you can come up with, with the collective knowledge that you have to your disposal at Mearto?

Just in materials alone this sculpture costs about $12k to print, completely disregarding my hours. I know that it’s hard to find direct references, but everything you say tells me that you didn’t even try to establish some kind of value.

Can you please make a real effort or direct this to a more knowledgeable collegue?

Kind regards,

Adrian Roman

Sara s Jan 29, 01:59 UTC

Hello Adrian,
I apologize if you are disappointed. Mearto offer fair market value (FMV) estimates. An item's fair market value, also called the auction value, is what you could reasonably expect it to sell for if you were to take it to auction tomorrow. Mearto specialists estimate this value, which is expressed as a range, based on recently achieved auction results for similar items. It seems you are in search of a retail or gallery price for this object, which can only be established by the person who is selling the item. FMV and retail prices are very different prices.

Do you have a similar item and want to know how much it’s worth?

Communicate directly with a qualified specialist and get a fair market valuation of your item, typically in 48 hours or less.

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