Memento of Thoughts: live 3D image of the PULSE 2025 conference

In the middle of May 2025, a festival of architecture and design took place in Ostrava. The prestigious international conference PULSE Architecture & Designtook place in the industrial space GONG , which this year had the eloquent theme RESTART. The main stage hosted over 40 speakers – among them stars such as Eva Jiřičná, Patrick Norguet and Otto Ng (LAAB Architects). One of the highlights of the program was the lecture by Winy Maas (MVRDV), which defied time limits and the moderation of Daniel Stach. And rightly so – his call to „Celebrate difference. Be even bolder. Always ask: What’s next?“ resonated through the space long after the lights went down.

And it was the question „What’s next?“ was at the heart of the experimental installation „Memento of Thoughts“, created on site by the Plastenco team. We decided to capture the atmosphere of the conference in a different way – not just to record it, but to embody it. Our installation is not a sculpture, but a living diary that was created in real time using robotic 3D printing from recycled plastic.

Real data, physical footprint

We set up a digital system right inside GONG that recorded real-time acoustic data from the festival space. A prepared script processed the sound intensity into a parametric model – a topographic map – which the robot gradually recorded into physical form. Curve by curve, according to the rhythm of the hall, human whispers and thunderous applause.

The print head applied recycled plastic (from Prusa Research) to structures that emerged from the moment – each deformation and curvature an imprint of what was happening. The result is an object between design, sculpture and record that aims not to „be pretty“ but to „be true“.

The installation was complemented by a video mapping that displayed live data – a connection between what is happening in the space and what is currently being printed. This also made it an interactive point in the programme – many visitors returned to ‚find‘ themselves in the material that was being produced.

Who was behind it

The author team consisted of Ondřej Cigáník, Daniel Sviták and Jan Kulhánek, in cooperation with the technical background of the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University and UMPRUM. The supporting team included Kateřina Sýsová Nováková, Tereza Hvězdová, Jitka Hvězdová, Pavel Sýs and Karel John. The creation of the installation was supported by the PlastIT research project, implemented within the TAČR Trend programme (mandatory publicity).

The aim was not only to showcase the technology, but also to highlight the power of collaboration between designers, academics and manufacturing partners. Plastenco functioned here as a living laboratory, testing not only materials but also new forms of expression – about space, about time, about sound.

When thoughts take shape. And the plastic a second life.

Sound is a medium that normally doesn’t physically „stay“. With the installation „Memento of Thoughts“ we gave it a physical memory. Plastic filament, which does not meet the quality requirements, is given a second life here as a carrier of information.

In the Czech context, the research on the relationship between acoustics and artistic expression has long been dealt with, for example, by Milan Grygar, whose work focuses on the principles of sonification and their artistic transcription. While Grygar transformed sound into images, we have transformed it into space – and into plastic, which itself bears traces of process and origin.

What’s next?

„Memento of Thoughts“ is not a one-off performance. We see it as the beginning of a new line of research, where we will continue to work with acoustic recording, visualization of sound data and its 3D transcription. We are planning installations and connections with other festivals. For example, we are looking forward to the next edition of the Pulse festival, which will take place on 29.9.2025 in Prague. And we are looking for partners who are not afraid to go beyond the ordinary.

Because as Winy Maas said, „Be even bolder. What’s next?“