This is the story of a landscape architect and a social entrepreneur who started a platform to unite digital artists with manufacturers, transforming virtual creations into tangible 3D sculptures. However, David Palancus and Luca Goldig are so much more than their respective traits, and their venture extends beyond merely linking artists with craftsmen. Welcome to Forgio.
David Palancus and Luca Goldig are on a mission to harness knowledge that empowers others, turning abstract ideas into tangible realities. "Forgio assists (digital) artists in manifesting their work in 3D. Our goal is to act as a conduit because, without such support, they might not achieve this," David explains. He further elucidates, "Our role extends beyond mere imagination; we endeavor to interpret the artists' visions for them. We navigate the vernacular of those skilled in physical craftsmanship as well as the aspirations of coders eager to see their creations take on a new dimension. That is our raison d'être."
David's multifaceted background in landscape architecture, fab labs, and art equips him with a nuanced understanding of converting digital concepts into physical realities. His work in restoring numerous historical gardens has necessitated collaboration with various craftspeople, including sculptors skilled in stone, marble, bronze, wood, and steel decoration. His fascination with digital mediums emerged from his experimentation with diverse software, driven by a desire to augment his traditional sketching and photography techniques with innovative methods of image creation.
In addition to his work in landscaping, David has consistently engaged in other forms of artistic explorations. "When I first encountered Man Ray's photography, I was captivated by how the exposure of light on negatives could reverse the light in an image," he reflects. "I've been drawn to anything related to imagery — colors, forms, shapes, lighting. A persistent question for me has been, 'How can I make images endure through time?' I believe we need creations that span centuries, enabling a deeper connection across generations. We often lose the knowledge our generations. We often lose the knowledge our ancestors accumulated," he contemplates. Therefore, a personal goal for him is to bridge the past and present, crafting works today that will hold value in the future — not just as art, but as tools for understanding and education. "With Forgio, we carefully select imagery to be realized in durable materials like marble or stone, thereby exploring new methods to render significant images somewhat eternal." time?' I believe we need creations that span centuries, enabling a deeper connection across generations. We often lose the knowledge our ancestors accumulated," he contemplates. Therefore, a personal goal for him is to bridge the past and present, crafting works today that will hold value in the future — not just as art, but as tools for understanding and education. "With Forgio, we carefully select imagery to be realized in durable materials like marble or stone, thereby exploring new methods to render significant images somewhat eternal."
Cooperating with David in his endeavor is Luca Goldig, a recent graduate in social entrepreneurship and international development from McGill University. "I am deeply interested in enterprises that drive positive change in the world, such as supporting communities or aiding those less fortunate," he articulates. "At Forgio, we provide artists with the opportunity to materialize their creations into physical items without any initial costs. This perspective and purpose are crucial for me in establishing a business." For Luca, Forgio also serves another additional role: "by connecting digital artists with manufacturers, we hopefully enable them to gain the recognition they deserve, since physical pieces allow their work to be more readily showcased." And there's more: with Forgio, the founders aim to foster a collaborative hub. "A space where there is mutual learning, as everyone brings their unique expertise in mediums and techniques," Luca elaborates. "And we then serve as the translators between the artists in the digital space and the artisanal artists in the traditional world."
The platform will harness blockchain technology to guarantee the authenticity and verification of artworks, in addition to utilizing augmented reality (AR) technology for an immersive interaction with the pieces. Luca's interest in web3 and collecting NFTs began roughly five years ago, during which he developed a keen interest in applying this technology to charity and philanthropy projects. “In Montreal, while collaborating with a traditional painter on an NFT collection, the concept emerged of offering collectors a combination of digital and physical art,” Luca recalls. “While setting this up, I realized there wasn't a platform specializing in physical items for the NFT or web3 space," he reflects. This realization sparked a broader vision, especially considering the advancements in 3D printing. "I felt the options were limitless and saw it as something for the future, but it wasn't until I met David, who had his own idea of including artisanal artists in the process of making 3D sculptures, that everything clicked."
For David there was always a desire to unite artists and artisans. "I've observed many artists operating in isolation, their creations seldom reaching beyond their immediate circles and this is particularly true for digital artists." David has researched a lot of generative art through the years and began acquiring it starting in 2020. "My passion for mathematics and physics enables me to grasp the algorithms embedded in these artworks. Our aim with Forgio is to empower these artists to realize the projects of their imagination, transforming lines of code into tangible objects," David elaborates. Luca emphasizes a complementary perspective: "We believe that individuals also crave the tangible experience of art in real life. A physical piece offers a distinctly different engagement with art than viewing it on a screen."
As soon as their collaborative enthusiasm was kindled, Luca and David refined their vision and strategized on its execution. A year later (summer of 2023), they began developing iterations and prototypes to set a benchmark. "Forgio was born out of numerous motivations. Beyond those previously articulated, our overarching goal is to simplify the creative process for artists — that essentially captures our mission," Luca states. This ambition extends to facilitating the production of additional editions of an existing sculpture and linking artists with specific galleries and collectors. "We're spinning the creation process around to adopt a 'made on demand' model, circumventing the dilemma artists face when high production costs and uncertain demand deter them from realizing a particular piece," Luca explains.
After an artisan, proficient in a particular material, crafts the physical piece, the accompanying digital asset of the sculpture encapsulates all the vital details of the work: the type of material used (such as a specific kind of stone), exact dimensions, the artisan's identity, the manufacturing process, and the physical piece, the accompanying digital asset of the sculpture encapsulates all the vital details of the work: the type of material used (such as a specific kind of stone), exact dimensions, the artisan's identity, the manufacturing process, and exhibition history, among other information. This approach underscores Forgio's commitment to seamlessly connecting the traditional with the digital world, encompassing artists, collectors, artisans, materials, and digital elements. "Our ambition is to redefine the realms of art and collecting," Luca declares. "Currently, the art world is rife with gatekeeping, affecting collectors as well. With our platform, there's no need to attend an expensive fair. We empower collectors by placing the power of collection and authentication directly into their hands, facilitated by our app that assesses the veracity of artworks," he further notes.
Currently, Forgio collaborates with five artists to develop proof of concepts in materials such as bronze or marble. David shares with enthusiasm, "In a hundred years, individuals will be able to witness the digital art created today. And in a thousand years, these works will still be visible and commemorated. They might even secure their own esteemed position akin to that of the Uffizi." For the founders an interesting aspect to that is also the timestamp the pieces create. "It shows you where we are/were now," David says, highlighting the significance of preserving technological progress in a physical sculpture: "The codes and the advancements that are from today will be evolving in the years to come. With the physical pieces, we basically document this time of the technology."
For the time being, the focus is primarily on, bringing generative art to physical form, because "they often incorporate geometry or 3D models," David notes. "Exploring the physical manifestation of AI-generated works in the future is something we find particularly compelling," Luca adds. "Imagining objects that were never tangible, entirely conceived by a computer, and ultimately transformed into physical artworks." The importance of their means to chronicle the evolution of technology and artistic expression at given moments in history also goes for these AI pieces. "If someone does a prompt for an AI and we create a physical piece out of that, if the artist does that same prompt a year later, the AI will give a different output," Luca elaborates. He adds: "We're very excited to make it all come into fruition." In the end, Forgio aspires to expand globally, creating a network that spans every continent. Luca concludes, "This would enable anyone to commission pieces from local sculptors around the world, tailored to the desired size by you or your collector."
