Ultra-lab 3D prints 7000 words as a tribute to Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez

A journey in 3D printed on Gabriel García Márquez work

While people say a picture says more than a thousand words, there are some writers out there that can do more than pictures ever can. Writers that, through their words, can shake not just the foundations of literature itself but also of society, politics and philosophy. And when looking back over the twentieth century, I’m sure few people will contradict me when saying that the Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez was the most influential author of the past hundred years. With novels such as Over Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985) he has managed to touch and inspire people throughout the world.

And while tremendously influential throughout the world, Gabriel García Márquez has become something of the father of literature in the Spanish-speaking world. Having died of old age a year ago, he has been honoured in so many ways already, but a new exhibition opening in Madrid, Spain today is perhaps the most original of all. Through a collaboration of the Colombian Embassy in Spain, the Spanish phone company Telefónica, 3D printing provider Ultra-lab, and design studio Think Big Factory, 7000 words from his books have been 3D printed in concrete and assembled as a giant sea of poetry.

The exhibition is called Travesía por los estados de la palabra (Journey in the states of the word), and can now be visited in the Casa del Lector (House of the Reader), a cultural institute in Madrid. As you can imagine, the exhibition is obviously the result of a giant 3D printing project. As Fred Muscinesi of the Spanish Ultra-Lab explained to 3ders.org, it required fifty Makerbot machines to complete.

"To make the 3D print part of the project, Ultra-lab went into a real manufacturing mode to ensure that the 7000 words were 3D printed in 20 days. This and the 50 3D printers working in real time in an artistic environment was possible thanks to Makerbot Industries technology: the Mini 3D printers communicate wirelessly, the spools of filaments are hidden inside the 3D printer frame and the high stability of the printers was the guarantee of the success of the installation," he says. "Finally, an Openscad tool was designed to generate the words to be printed."

Aside from the sea of 3D printed words, Gabriel García Márquez’s works are further introduced through a digital and audio-visual displays and a series of videos that will enable you to go on tours through the author’s works. As this is a Spanish exhibition, additional attention is also given to the (literary) relations between Spain and the author’s native Colombia.

If you happen to be in Madrid, the exhibition is opened today and can only be visited until the 3rd of March (next Tuesday). So if you’re a big fan of Gabriel García Márquez, make sure you go there as soon as possible. Go here for more information.