Instrument of Persuasion, “Complexity and Reduction”, by Ben Scott (2013)
In the course of a game of chess, every piece becomes a potent tool at the player’s disposal. A pawn in the right place, with the right support, could transform into a strong instrument of persuasion. In this set, the two sides are of contrasting designs and constructions. The complex set of pieces were 3D printed from plastic, and then painted. Just as the game of chess is a perfect medium for thought to be made into actions, a 3D printing process is a nearly perfect method to take arbitrary geometric designs from the imagination directly to a physical form. The simplified pieces serve to contrast the entropy of complicated designs: Milling pieces out of metals like stainless steel and 7075 aluminum takes much more time and literal force to achieve. These pieces are less ephemeral than the complex set, whose intricacies lack the physical weight and presence that the solid metal pieces hold. This establishes a conflict between the pieces which only becomes clear when manipulating the objects.