Aaron Olivas recently launched an online fundraising drive through Kickstarter to develop a design project he calls “Enigma Orbs.” The orbs are three-dimensional puzzles made from concrete and held together only by magnets, and combine art and entertainment at a price that Olivas hopes is accessible to many.
Aaron studied at Cal State San Bernadino and the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute. He first came up with the idea as a college ceramics project, and while his handcrafted originals were well-received, but they were delicate and extremely time consuming. For the last two years, he’s worked on developing a process that would allow a wider audience to experience the unique puzzles, which snap together under the invisible force of embedded magnets.
Using 3D printing, Olivas has developed molds into which he pours a custom concrete mix. The finished product looks and feels more like white stone smoothed in a river, holds up to stress far better than ceramic, and can be casted instead of shaped by hand. Embedded glass and finishing stains produce a wide variety of color possibilities.
“It’s a perfect blend, using technology to make art that can also be played with,” he says. “Now I hope the community can help me move from prototypes to production.”
Olivas has a Kickstarter campaign to raise the $15,000 needed for supplies, equipment, and production. He offers orbs in three sizes, with small spheres fitting inside mediums, and mediums inside larges. The first fifty supporters can get a small orb for just $20, or all three for only $125. The campaign ends on October 21.
When asked about the future of the product after the campaign, Olivas says he’s looking into options for the next evolution of the processes he’s developed.
You can find the Enigma Orbs project at www.kickstarter.com
The project also maintains social media accounts:
www.facebook.com/EnigmaOrbs
@EnigmaOrbs
#EnigmaOrbs
Contact Information
Aaron Olivas
massenigmas@gmail.com
