Printing a territory: our first local figurines
Striped canvas from beach huts, Saint-Nazaire bridge, Guérande ramparts. We wanted pieces that speak of a place: touristy without being kitsch, local without being nostalgic. The story of a founding principle.
By L'atelier RE3DLINE
The idea has been rattling around in our heads since a trip to Lisbon, where we came across a 3D printer producing ostriches, alligators and strange cookie cutters. His pieces had nothing to do with his city, and yet they told a story. We wanted to do the opposite: pieces that truly tell the story of our Atlantic coast.
The tourist souvenir reimagined
The tourist souvenir has a bad reputation, and for good reason: mass produced in Asia, distributed in generic shops, broken in two weeks. We wanted to try differently, using what 3D does best: producing in small batches, locally, with real design drawn by someone who knows the place. It's the same principle as that of our partner designers: an object that means something starts with someone who thought it through.
The first pieces that opened the way
The striped canvas: miniature version of the red and white canvas tent, emblem of Atlantic coast beach huts. The Saint-Nazaire bridge: stylised silhouette of the cable-stayed bridge, designed for a desk or wall. The Guérande ramparts, our immediate neighbourhood. These first explorations set the rules of the game: evoke a place through its line, never through cliché.
Why local?
Because an object that tells the story of a place has an emotional charge that a generic object will never have. Because a resident of the Atlantic coast recognises striped canvas from ten metres away. And because we want to support the visual identity of territories rather than dilute it. Making these pieces in Guérande, just a few kilometres from the places they evoke, in our own workshop, is part of the meaning.
What this vein has become
This desire for territory lives today in our catalogue through the marine bestiary of the One Line collection, these families of animals drawn in a single continuous line, whales, dolphins and crustaceans leading the way, and in our animal statues. Other local motifs will come as the seasons change.
What comes next
Other cities, other motifs will come. In the meantime, our guide Holiday souvenirs: bringing back the peninsula differently extends this desire for territory. If you have a place that deserves its 3D printed piece, write to us: we study every proposal.
The RE3DLINE workshop, Guérande
Frequently asked questions
- Why decorative objects inspired by a territory?
- Because an object that tells the story of a place has an emotional charge that a generic object will never have. A resident of the Atlantic coast recognises a beach hut striped canvas from ten metres away. Designing locally, producing locally and telling the local story: the three go together.
- Who designs RE3DLINE's local pieces?
- Our pieces are born either in the workshop or with paid partner designers on each sale. For territory series, we favour creators who know the place: that's what makes the difference between a souvenir and a cliché.
- Is a 3D printed souvenir durable?
- Yes. Unlike mass produced souvenirs that break in two weeks, a well printed PLA piece lasts decades indoors: it doesn't yellow and doesn't warp in a living space. It's also made to order, so never overproduced.
- Can we suggest a place or motif to print?
- Yes, and we love that. If you have a place, a monument or a motif that deserves its 3D printed piece, write to us via the contact page: we study every proposal, whether for a unique piece or a series for a local shop.