This project explores how a classical figure is transformed through digital modelling and 3D printing, focusing on the Greek goddess Athena. Moving from a digital character to a physical, monochrome printed object, the work examines how material, scale, and fabrication processes reshape meaning.
The 3D model is inspired by contemporary game and anime aesthetics, while the physical artefact is produced using FDM 3D printing in white PLA. Due to material constraints, the printed figure is fragmented into separate parts rather than presented as a complete form. These limitations—such as visible layer lines, structural fragility, and loss of detail—are not treated as failures, but as integral to the work.
The project introduces the idea of a "procedural aura," where meaning emerges from the visibility of the making process rather than historical originality. By placing the digital render and physical print in dialogue, the work highlights the gap between virtual perfection and material reality.
Tianyi Yao is a final-year BA Media student at University College London, specialising in game design and digital media. Her practice explores the intersection of digital culture, materiality, and visual representation. Working across 3D modelling, real-time engines, and digital fabrication, her projects investigate how virtual forms are translated into physical experiences. She is particularly interested in how contemporary media reshapes cultural memory and perception through technological processes.
