anousha payne imagines artifacts that may have existed in another world

born and raised in london, anousha payne is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the anthropological expressions of self image and identity in the digital age. interested in the incongruity between ancient materiality and modern technology, payne uses hand-building techniques together with 3D printing to create a balance between the two. her latest piece is called ‘imagined artefacts’,  where she examines ideas of ownership, representation, and how sacred objects change when they are taken from their intended context. 

in imagined artefacts, anousha payne uses 3D scanning and printing to appropriate artifacts from some of the great cultural institutions of the world. the result are semi-abstracted forms that feel both familiar and new. her aim is not to make exact replicas of ancient objects, but to think that she accidentally imagined this artifacts into a past time.

‘an imaginary artefact is something that I kind of made up to describe the objects I was making,’ comments anousha payne. ‘what I think of an imaginary artifact is quite literal imagining an artifact that may have existed in another world. I was thinking about whether an object still has virtual qualities when it’s replicated. is it still the same thing when I made it huge and in another material.’

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom