From Material Scarcity to Artificial Abundance: The Case of FabLabs and 3D Printing Technologies

FabLabs are ‘fabrication laboratories’ that encourage the development of new methods of artistic production based on participation and interaction between peers. 3D printing plays a central role in these labs. FabLabs constitute an attempt to transpose the open source mode of production from the domain of software into the field of art and design. In doing so, however, they run the risk of encountering the same legal restrictions that have been applied to the information realm, where e.g. copyright law has been used to create artificial forms of scarcity. De Filippi and Troxler discuss ways in which the copyright regime has been countered in the information realm to turn this scarcity into abundance. They investigate how 3D printing could be used to generate artificial abundance rather than artificial scarcity, meaning that resources that are naturally scarce are made more abundant (or less scarce) by legal or technical means. They conclude that there are three main barriers to abundance in the physical realm: raw material scarcity, exclusivity of production tools and facilities, and improper access to knowledge and skills.

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