Mixed Reality Fabricationby Gwyllim Jahn challenges the conventional focus on automation and precision in digital fabrication, instead advocating for approaches that bridge the gap between digital design and the wide tolerances, improvisation and non-uniform materials common to traditional craft practices. It promotes a humanist philosophy of technology, emphasising the value of skilled labour and craft traditions while revealing opportunities for reduced documentation complexity, accelerated knowledge transfer, waste reduction, and increased design freedom.
Making by hand in mixed reality opens a broad space of designs characterised by stochasticity, formed curves, networks and field conditions that would otherwise be impractical to draw and build. Several case-study projects from the scale of sculptural pieces to small pavilions illustrate how working within immersive mixed reality environments can empower both novices and experts to realise complex digital designs.
With contributions from Vivian Mitsogianni, Cameron Newnham and Nick van den Berg.
Published by Actar Publishers, 2026.