Abdulla Albaitam is a Bahraini artist based in Bahrain. He holds a bachelor's in Instrumentation and Control Engineering from the University of Bahrain (2021) He also holds a diploma in digital fabrication from the fab foundation which emerged from MIT 2019. And many art courses including Jeff Koons art and creativity masterclass Abdulla combines art with technology to come up with unique ways of expressing his thoughts and solving local and global challenges. He builds hardware solutions for industrial problems and functional mechanical kinetic art.
One of his creations for a burger shop is a mechanical channel that transports packing boxes from the first floor to the ground floor to the chef. This system helps in selling more burgers in less time, helps decorate the reception, creates a memory that resonates with people, and inspires kids to innovate.
Abdulla’s work is inspired by his dreams, plants, animals, machines, and random patterns of movements. He explores different mediums and tries new approaches, processes, and materials Abdulla works with found objects, kinetic interactive art, and the visualization of music His technique combines digital fabrication and manual skills.
He published a paper and built the vacuum forming adaptive mold machine (Bahrain, 2020). Abdulla’s modular chair has been exhibited in the Table and Chair competition organized by the Bahrain authority for culture and antiquities (Bahrain, 2020). Abdulla helped in the creation of a 6 meters kinetic wall which was exhibited in youth city organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Bahrain, 2017) He currently works on a kinetic mirror for Lexus
The form idea came to me when I was thinking about transforming 2D cuts into 3D forms. Inspired by the angles wings I designed and built a Bluetooth speaker.
I wanted to test the process of designing a 3D object, transforming it into a 2D design, then fabricating the parts using a 2D tool, and finally shaping it to its 3D form While designing I used ratios between the parts to set the form dimensions and Fusion 360 sheet metal tool.
I also wanted to test combining different materials such as galvanized steel and frosted acrylic Moreover, I wanted to test finishing techniques and combine a variety of fabrication processes.
I started by slicing the 3D mold into a 2D design to laser cut the mold parts Then, I laser cut the acrylic and sanded it to give it a frosted acrylic look. After that, I heated the acrylic using an oven and shaped it into the mold Finally, I bought a galvanized steel section from the scrap yard and cut a small section of it, sanded it, and spray it with a clear coat to give it a smooth texture.
Commissioned by a burger shop to design and build a mechanical channel that transports packing boxes from the first floor to the ground floor to the chef. This system helps to sell more burgers in less time, helps decorate the reception, creates a memory that resonates with people, and inspires kids to innovate.
Inspired by the drop's ripple effect I made this interactive kinetic art installation It interacts with people's movement in space, the more people move around the installation the more it moves and the fewer people move the less it moves
I get inspired by my dreams, plants, animals, machines, and random patterns of movement I like to explore different mediums and try new approaches, processes, and materials. It's important for me to understand the relationship between design, fabrication process, and materials. It helps me improve existing materials and create new ones
In collaboration between Fablab Bahrain and a local fine artist I lead a team of young artists to combine art, technology, and culture to create a unique art exhibition where we highlighted human behavior and the reactions of the machines.
My graduation project is a Vacuum forming adaptive mold machine research project. The machine is useful for product and industrial designers since it will not only help them implement their ideas faster, but it will also help create low cost fast molds for the art, medical, automotive, and aircraft industries.
The features that make this machine very useful are: ( Scalability, Fabrication of a variety of shapes, Fast, Cost effective, Reproducible in any digital fabrication lab, and made as units )
As toy manufacturers focus on kids' toys to educate them about a certain topic or a skill. I wanted to create a big sized construction set for adults to unleash the creativity that they had when they were kids. It will allow us "adults" to build almost anything on a big scale "our scale" Such as a small house, furniture pieces, go karts, and big 3 axis machines. The design features are (Scalability in size and development, Compatible with standard market parts like bearings and pipes, Big, Modular, locally available materials and easy to fabricate and paint, and can be easily integrated with electronics and wiring ).
Parts can fit together at any joint position
Parts can be assembled in all 360 degrees.
Parts can be extended using an attachment
Pipes and bearings can easily be integrated
Electronics and wiring can easily be integrated.
Screws and fittings can easily be integrated to add strength to the structure
The product was used in a training workshop organized by the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting in cooperation with the Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Tourism the workshop aims to shed light on digital manufacturing tools and familiarize participants with the capabilities provided by this technology, as well as introducing the principles of used prototypes. This device is generic and can be programmed to be used in industries such as ( Robotics, Smart homes, interactive art, and more ).
My role was to digitally design and fabricate the IOT device in 14 Days. The device had 3 inputs and 2 outputs which are all connected to a wifi microcontroller We started by understanding the device by prototyping with cardboard and exploring the best positions to place the sensors. After that, I used Fusion 360 to design the parts and a laser cutter, a CNC machine, and a fine milling machine to fabricate the parts.
I founded Edu Kart which is a STEAM startup that aims to teach anyone how to build their custom go karts in a fun and practical way by simplifying engineering concepts ( LEARN, MAKE, RACE ! ) Fablab Bahrain helped Edu Kart in developing the concept, mentored me, and helped me build 4 functional go kart prototypes while introducing me to 8 customers which helped in testing the idea and understanding the financial model for it
In the summer of 2020 and 2021 EDU kart trained 8 kids with skills such as ( Mechanics, Electronics, Coding, Digital fabrication, 3D Design, Math, and painting ) to build their custom go karts and race in a small circuit.
We start with the principles of sketching, the gear ratio, and CAD design tools, then we move into electronics and programming, and after that the structure and mechanical concepts. Finally, we get into digital fabrication tools such as the CNC machine to cut wood then assemble the parts and paint them. Digital fabrication includes the use of ( CNC cutting, 3D printing, and laser cutting )
After the course, we noticed that the students' mindsets changed They started to suggest ideas and possible ways to implement them
The aim was to create an easy educational STEAM program for kids to understand the principles of designing and fabricating a one seat boat.
The educational program included ( principles of flotation and buoyancy calculations, material exploration, cad design, digital fabrication, resin infusion, fiberglass composite, finishing techniques, and painting )
This device reinforces the habit of drinking water by changing the color from Blue to Yellow to Red. The changes will happen every 45 mins to remind me to drink 100ml of water The device structure is made from laser cut cork, laser cut acrylic that was heated and bent later, and CNC cut walnut wood. For the electronics, I used Arduino, wires, a limit switch, and neopixel LEDs.
From an experiment to a one month workshop about modular furniture I designed experimental 3D printed joints to shape a simple house by joining black steel pipes together Then, I had the opportunity to teach a one month workshop about modular furniture. We taught and applied with 30 students the design thinking process ( empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test ). The sessions started with exploring forms and proportions by prototyping on a small scale using sticks and clay then, understanding the user, sketching, designing, 3D printing, and assembly.
Fab’n Box is an educational program that integrates digital fabrication skills and methodologies within a STEAM educational model (Fab in a box, digital Fabrication tools, and curriculum in a robust and highly mobile unit)
We at fablab Bahrain created a Train The Trainers program where we train schools and university educators in digital fabrication principles, and how to utilize a portable digital fabrication lab in STEAM education. The toolbox activities will cover the basics of digital fabrication technologies ( cutting and engraving, thermo transfer for textiles, 3D scanning,3D printing, Electronics, and Embedded programming ) in an applied format and towards project based learning.
A smart modular comfortable mobile space that motivates artists, scientists, and researchers to be more creative by isolating themselves in nature while being energy efficient and is built in consideration of vernacular design The process of building the mobile unit is experimental based on material, process, and design research.
The goal is to cover the exterior with 4 experimental panels and test them based on different test variables such as ( Thermal Insulation, recyclability, weight, fire and water resistance, and cost ), then compare them in a table We incorporated sensors as a way to capture data to analyze energy consumption and optimize energy use while improving occupant comfort, health, and productivity.
My role was to lead a team of 3 engineers and 1 scientist to research the best design shape, materials, and fabrication process to cover the exterior with 4 experimental panels
