Most recently, this has included expeditions into the exciting new world of augmented reality (AR). His regular travelling companion? Print.

What was produced?

For ‘Gif-iti 2’, a follow-up to his first project which rendered painted murals animated through the use of AR, Insa commissioned a promotional piece from Corsham-based Ripe Digital.

A run of 300 paper model vans were printed by Ripe which, when constructed, could be viewed through an AR app to reveal a secret robot character hidden inside.

What did the job entail?

The flat, unconstructed vans were four-colour printed onto A4 sheets of 330gsm Fedrigoni Symbol Card using Ripe’s signature HP Indigo 7800 digital press and then gloss laminated on a D&K Europa machine. Die-cutting was then outsourced to G&T Print Finishers in Swindon.

Once completed on a seven-day turnaround, the flat vans could be popped out of the A4 sheet by users and folded into 155x53x50mm models.

What challenges were overcome?

According to Ripe managing director Rik Penny, die-cutting of the small van models was unexpectedly complex due to the number of foldable tabs and angles. The team was sure to proof the die-cut themselves on Ripe’s own Graphtec F-Mark cutting system before the conven-tional die could be confidently made and sent off to G&T.

What was the feedback?

Insa said: “For ‘Gif-iti 2’, I want to play around with 3D objects and AR, and I thought the best way to keep the mix of digital and hand crafted was to use a paper model. The idea that you have to build a physical model to enjoy a totally virtual, digital thing is interesting to me and a way of making digital tangible.

“I have worked with Ripe on numerous printed projects over the years and so they were the first choice to ask about executing this. I am pleased with the results, now I just want to make the van bigger!”