Hydro-Fold is a project that aims to explore the properties of paper and how a liquid may bend its structure.

“I saw this new process applied in packaging design and manufacture, and it widens the possibilities of humble paper,’ said designer Christophe Guberan ( 3rd year industrial design student / ECAL )

This inkjet printer has been adapted by Ecole Cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) student Christophe Guberan to print patterns that contort pieces of paper into specific 3D forms.

The project required modifications to a simple contemporary desktop ink-jet printer by replacing the regular ink contained in the cartridge by a very specific mixture of ink and water. With the help of the water, Christophe transformed simple sheets of tracing paper into small sculptures shaped by a grid produced on the computer screen

Different patterns, grids and shapes can be printed on paper using this specific liquid. While drying, the paper contorts, folds and retracts around the printed and humid areas, transforming it self from a 2-dimensional paper sheet to a 3-dimensional structure where lines become edges and surfaces become volumes.

Whereas normally these complex forms would require somewhat complex simulation in Rhino before being folded manually, Christophe’s method makes use of the shrinking quality of paper to allow it to reform into required shapes based on the patterns printed.

Different patterns, grids and shapes can be printed on paper using this specific liquid. While drying, the paper contorts, folds and retracts around the printed and humid areas, transforming it self from a 2-dimensional paper sheet to a 3-dimensional structure where lines become edges and surfaces become volumes.