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Dr Lionel Dean

Job: Senior Lecturer

Faculty: Arts, Design and Humanities

School/department: School of Design

Research group(s): Design and New Product Development/ Creative use of Digital Design and Manufacturing Technologies

Address: 制服无码, The Gateway, Leicester, UK, LE1 9BH

T: Ext 7406

E: ldean@dmu.ac.uk

W:

 

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Personal profile

Lionel T Dean has been exploring the creative potential of digital design and manufacturing technology for almost ten years and is at the forefront of digital making.  His work spans Art Craft and Design disciplines and questions traditional definitions of practice. In 2003 he founded FutureFactories, a studio focused exclusively on 3D printing technologies and developing computational design methodologies which combine Computer Aided Design (CAD) with computer programming. Such systems allow the creation of virtual meta-designs with the ability to evolve and mutate over time offering a potentially infinite stream of one-off solutions. 

Publications and outputs


  • dc.title: FutureFactories: Riding the Hype Curve dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: In the early 2000s I became captivated by a cutting-edge technol卢ogy known then as 鈥榬apid prototyping鈥欌�攁 seemingly magical way to conjure intricate sculptural forms out of thin air. The design world was abuzz with its potential, yet it remained the domain of major corporations and largely inaccessible to most. Recognizing an opportunity, I proposed a project, FutureFactories, for a one-year design residency at the University of Huddersfield, which evolved into a practice-based PhD at the same institution. In this chapter I will use the title 鈥楩utureFactories鈥� to encompass the residency, my PhD study, and my subsequent studio practice. As 3D printing began to capture global attention, I found myself at the forefront of this technological revolution, riding a wave of media interest. This chapter chronicles the symbiotic relationship between me as the practitioner, 鈥榖ig tech鈥�, and the media鈥攁 virtuous circle that propelled the project forward while simultaneously pulling it away from its academic roots. The story begins with the inception of the project, detailing how I framed research questions to align with my creative ambitions, and how a combination of strategic planning and serendipity propelled the project into the limelight. This chapter explains why pursuing a PhD made sense to me as a creative practitioner and outlines the assumptions that guided this journey. The narrative delves into the exhilarating highs experienced at the peak of the media wave, when the project, buoyed by global interest, seemed invincible. However, beneath the surface lurked the perils of commercial contracts, spin-off projects, and PR opportunities that threatened to dilute the project鈥檚 focus. The chapter documents the challenges I faced defining my practice and completing a doctoral thesis鈥攁 journey that turned a two-year plan into a near-decade-long endeavour. It explores the inevitable crash that followed the wave of hype and the complex task of disentangling a career from the technological trend that had once fuelled it. The narrative concludes by considering the impacts of the PhD on the development of my creative practice, both positive and negative, and how, ultimately, a lasting studio practice has emerged. About the publication: In the last three decades, creative practice disciplines, such as art, design, architecture, creative writing, fashion, and others, have undergone a 鈥榬esearch turn鈥�, strongly stimulated by doctoral programmes to deepen artists鈥� reflections on the roots, relevance and urgencies of their work. There are many reasons why an individual practitioner might decide to undertake a PhD: a desire to uplift one鈥檚 practice, to contribute to the intellectual artistic climate, to teach, to pursue an academic career, or some combination of these, or other reasons. The rise of artistic research or practice-based research is subtly transforming these disciplines. The integration of research into practice, however, has not always been smooth, and the transformations not unequivocally positive. For this book we issued an open call to ask artists how PhD research has influenced their making and thinking. Our questions were: What are the impacts, urgency, and significance of the PhD for creative practitioners? How are these understood, captured, communicated? How did it change your practice? We even asked: should creative practitioners undertake a PhD in the first place? Through its thirty contributions Thinking Back, Making Forward tackles these questions in an open way, to acknowledge, equally, the advantages and disadvantages of the creep of the PhD into artistic practice. At the same time, this book shows a wide range of possibilities of what research in artistic practice can entail. dc.description: Editors: Brad Haylock, Jessica Wilkinson, Charles Anderson

  • dc.title: Resurgence dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: Resurgence: Peoria Sculpture Walk, Illinois USA 2026 鈥� January 2028 Also: ForM 2025, Bangor Castle Walled Garden, Northern Ireland, 1st 鈥� 30th June 2025 Altered States, Shaw House, Berkshire, 2nd August 鈥� 28th September 2025. Wells Art Contemporary 2025, 8th October-1st November 2025 This practice-based research investigates the shifting position of 3D-printing within contemporary creative practice, addressing two core questions: whether additively manufactured works can be critically appraised alongside traditional sculpture without privileging their technological origins, and whether large-scale 3D printing can become an assessable, sustainable in-house method for the studio practitioner. Although 3D printing was patented in the mid-1980s, meaningful access for independent artists only emerged in the early 2000s via commercial service bureaus. Over the past twenty-five years鈥攕haped by patent expirations, open-source developments, and public familiarity鈥攖he technology has reached a level of maturity that permits a rigorous, dispassionate assessment of its creative potential. This research responds to that moment, shifting from speculative enthusiasm to evidence-led evaluation. The resulting artwork embodies an original hybrid methodology that combines accessible, sub-拢500 open-source printers with traditional fibreglass lamination. Here, 3D printing generates an armature capable of capturing the fluidity and precision of digital form, while fibreglass provides the structural integrity and finish required for public-realm durability. At three metres high, the work demonstrates鈥攖hrough practical experiment, iteration, and reflection鈥攖hat a lone practitioner can produce large-scale, exhibition-standard sculpture via an affordable print-farm approach. This directly advances the second research question and contributes new knowledge regarding accessible modes of digital fabrication within creative practice. The sculpture鈥檚 selection for The Peoria Sculpture Walk 鈥攁 biannual rotating exhibition of eight outdoor public artwork sculptures from domestic and international artists鈥攐ffers a robust test environment for the first research question, allowing the work to be evaluated primarily on artistic merit. Peoria in central Illinois, USA is a city of 111,696 (2024). The Sculpture Walk is located in the Warehouse District of Downtown Peoria. Resurgence has a sidewalk location on the busy SW Washington Street. Conceived early in 2025, the piece was exhibited at a series of curated outdoor exhibition in the UK Spring to late Autumn 2025. ForM 2025, Bangor Castle Walled Garden, Northern Ireland, 1st 鈥� 30th June 2025 Altered States, Shaw House, Berkshire, 2nd August 鈥� 28th September 2025. Wells Art Contemporary 2025, 8th October-1st November 2025 Collectively, this research makes an original and significant contribution to contemporary sculpture, demonstrating critical parity between digitally fabricated and traditionally constructed works while evidencing a rigorous, scalable model for independent large-format production.

  • dc.title: Resurgence and Altered States outdoor sculpture exhibition dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: This output is the selection of a 3D printed public art sculpture for Altered States, a curated outdoor sculpture exhibition at Shaw House, Newbury, Berkshire, UK. It is an annual exhibition for the months of August and September. Selection for the exhibition is an open competition. For 2025 the exhibition featured 75 selected works including Resurgence by Lionel T Dean. The piece is 3D printed in recycled plastic which has then been wrapped in a structural skin of glass reinforced plastic, GRP, aka fiberglass. It is the result of experiments in 鈥榙emocratic鈥� open-source technologies that would be accessible to the independent arts practitioner. The exhibition ran from 2nd August 鈥� 28th September 2025.

  • dc.title: Resurgence at ForM 2025 dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: This output is the selection of a 3D printed public art sculpture for ForM, a curated outdoor sculpture exhibition at Bangor Castle Walled Garden, Northern Ireland, UK. It is an annual exhibition for the month of June. Selection for the exhibition is an open competition. For 2025 the exhibition featured 40 selected works including Resurgence by Lionel T Dean. The piece is 3D printed in recycled plastic which has then been wrapped in a structural skin of glass reinforced plastic, GRP, aka fiberglass. It is the result of experiments in 鈥榙emocratic鈥� open-source technologies that would be accessible to the independent arts practitioner. The exhibition ran from Monday 1st June 2025 鈥� Monday 30th June 2025

  • dc.title: Sculpture on the Lawn 2025 dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T.; Bannon, John; Badia, Manuel Ferreiro; Hartley, Maxwell dc.description.abstract: This output is the selection of a 3D printed public art sculpture for Sculpture on The Lawn, Orlando, Florida, USA. Sculpture on the Lawn is an annual one-year exhibition for works of public art. Four pieces are selected each year in an international open competition. The piece is 3D printed in recycled plastic which has then been wrapped in a structural skin of glass reinforced plastic, GRP, aka fiberglass. It is the result of experiments in 鈥榙emocratic鈥� open-source technologies that would be accessible to the independent arts practitioner. The piece, The Blue Mulberry, was installed in downtown Orlando in January 2025. dc.description: This output is the selection of a 3D printed public art sculpture for Sculpture on The Lawn, Orlando, Florida, USA. Sculpture on the Lawn is an annual one-year exhibition for works of public art. Four pieces are selected each year in an international open competition. The piece is 3D printed in recycled plastic which has then been wrapped in a structural skin of glass reinforced plastic, GRP, aka fiberglass. It is the result of experiments in 鈥榙emocratic鈥� open-source technologies that would be accessible to the independent arts practitioner. The piece, The Blue Mulberry, was installed in downtown Orlando in January 2025.

  • dc.title: Titanium Clutch dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: 3D printing is revolutionising design and manufacturing and re-shaping our world; not only can we make what we could never have done before but using computational design tools we are creating what we couldn鈥檛 have even imagined. The design is a spherical titanium clutch bag, 3D printed in two halves via direct metal laser melting. It is carried via an integral wrist loop and opens with a kiss-latch. The geometry of the structure is an example of computational and generative design where computer aided design, CAD, is combined with computer programming. Computer scripts facilitate the division of the sphere into a complex irregular polygon, the faces of which 鈥榖loom鈥� into a network of interlinked abstract flower forms generating a complex lightweight structure. The form was specifically designed for 3D printing in direct metal titanium ti64, and was developed in partnership with Renishaw plc, a UK world leader in metals additive manufacturing.

  • dc.title: Preliminary color characterization of HP Multi Jet Fusion additive manufacturing with different orientations and surface finish dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T.; Badar, Faizan; Loy, Jennifer; Novak, James; Redmond, Michael; Vandi, Luigi-Jules dc.description.abstract: Purpose This study aims to evaluate the color accuracy of HP Jet Fusion 580 3D printing, comparing 3D-printed outcomes against original digital input colors. Design/methodology/approach A custom cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) and red, green, blue (RGB) color chart was applied to the top, bottom and side surfaces of a 3D model. Four of each model were 3D-printed on a HP Jet Fusion 580, and half the samples were finished with a cyanoacrylate gloss surface finish, while half were left in raw form. A spectrophotometer was used to document CIELAB (L*a*b*) data, and comparisons made to the original input colors, including calculation of 螖E. Findings The CMYK samples were significantly more accurate than RGB samples, and grayscale samples in both color spaces were the most accurate of all. Typically, CMYK swatches were darker than the input values, and gloss samples were consistently darker than raw samples. The chromaticity (a*b*) range was found to be significantly smaller than what can be achieved digitally, with highly saturated colors unable to be produced by the printer. Originality/value This is the first study, to the best of the authors鈥� knowledge, to characterize the full color spectrum possible with the HP Jet Fusion 580, recommending that designers use the CMYK color space when applying colors and textures to 3D models. A quick-reference color chart has been provided; however, it is recommended that future research focus on developing a color management profile to better map digital colors to the capabilities of the printer.

  • dc.title: Venus and David dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: In Venus and David, Dean takes the quintessential representation of heroic masculinity, Michelangelo鈥檚 renaissance David, and combines this digitally with the Venus de Milo, often regarded as the epitome of female beauty in Western Art. The result is reinterpretation and re-creation of masculinity and gender; one that is fluid, subtle and ambiguous.

  • dc.title: Trooping the Corgis: Purple Reign dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: Purple Reign was one of 50 life size corgi sculptures commissioned to celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth II鈥檚 platinum jubilee in 2022. It was created using digital sculpting and was 3D printed.

  • dc.title: Design Research for Change 2019 dc.contributor.author: Dean, Lionel T. dc.description.abstract: Contribution to publication and exhibition 鈥淒esign Research for Change 2019鈥� This was an AHRC funded project curated by Professor Paul A. Rodgers, Lancaster University. The contribution was a custom 3D printed prosthesis for a below the knee amputee in South Africa 鈥淒igital design and manufacturing technologies such as scanning and 3D printing (additive manufacturing) are starting to impact the design of products for health and wellbeing as they allow for the customisation of medical products. The implications of these technologies go far beyond fit and function. Rather, they have the potential to redesign the relationship between the person and the object. Out on a Limb explores this potential through a practical example of design-led research, where the designer deliberately challenges the conventional approach to designing lower-limb prosthetics for women. Conventional prosthetic limbs are essentially kits of standard engineering components produced irrespective of gender let alone personal taste and sensibility. Recent years have seen move away from the disguise of the false limb to almost a celebration of the prosthetic. Here digital technologies have allowed the designer to work with the user and to create the prosthesis as a fashion accessory. 3D printed in titanium, ti64鈥�

Research interests/expertise

  • Additive Manufacture
  • Co Creation
  • Computational Design
  • Digital Craft
  • Direct Digital Manufacturing
  • Digital Making
  • Generative Design
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Rapid Manufacture

Areas of teaching

  • Digital design and manufacturing
  • Aesthetics and visual language
  • Generative design and co-creation

Honours and awards

PhD, University of Huddersfield, June 2010

Forthcoming events

Group exhibitions

  • Nesta Gallery, London until June
  • In 3 dimensions – printing objects. Museum fur Gestaltung, Zurich until 5th May 2013
  • Ornamental Status, 5th Base Gallery, London 7 – 13th March

Conference presentations

  • Crafting the Future 17-19th April, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Digital Fashion, London College of Fashion 16-17th May 2013 co-author Michele Danjoux to present
  • Santa Fe Symposium – conference for jewellery manufacturing technology 19-22nd May 2013 
  • E&PDE2013 Dublin 5-6th September 2013

Conference attendance

Atkinson P. & Dean L: Future Factories: Teaching Techné. 5th European Academy of Design Conference, Barcelona, April 2003

Unver E., Dean L., & Atkinson P: Future Factories: Developing Individualised Production Methods. International conference on Advanced Engineering Design, Prague, May 2003

Atkinson P., Dean L., Unver E: Future Factories: Supportive Technologies As Creative Processes. 9th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, May 2004

Dean L., Atkinson P., Unver E: Evolving Individualized Consumer Products. 6th European Academy of Design Conference, Bremen, Germany, March 2005

Dean L: Designing for Rapid Manufacture: “Entropia” A Case Study. Time Compression Technologies Conference, UK, September 2006

Atkinson P., Unver E., Marshall J., Dean L: Post Industrial Manufacturing Systems: The Undisciplined Nature Of Generative Design. Design Research Society Conference, March 2008

Dean L: Titanium jewellery: High-End Decorative Design Straight From The Machine. Time Compression Technologies Conference, UK, October 2008

 Atkinson P., Marshall J., Unver E., Dean L: I Did it My Way: User Engagement In Post Industrial Manufacturing. 1st International Conference on Sustainable Intelligent Manufacturing, June 2011

Dean L., Pei E: Matching Design Investment With High Value Materials. 13th Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing, Lancaster, June 2012

Dean L., Pei E: Experimental 3D Digital Techniques in Design Practice. 2nd International Conference on Design Creativity, Glasgow, September 2012

Dean, L: Additive Manufacture: Added Design Value. iCAT 2012, 4th International Conference on Additive Technologies, Slovenia. Sept 2012

De Beer, D., Becker, L., Van der Walt, P., Mauchline, D., Campbell, I., Dean, L: Additive Manufacturing of Alumide Jewellery. RAPDASA Additive Manufacturing in Industry Conference, South Africa. Nov 2012

Dean L: Who’s afraid of co-creation? Crafting the Future. 10th European Academy of Design Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden 2013 (full paper accepted)

Other conference papers:-

Dean, L., Unver, E.,  Campbell, I., De Beer, D: Making it real: Virtual Tools in Creative Practice. Making International Conference on Materiality and Knowledge, Norway. Sept 2012 

Dean L: FutureFactories: Rapid Manufacturing At Work. Euromold Conference, Frankfurt, Germany, December 2008

Other forms of public presentation

Solo exhibitions:-

FutureFactories touring exhibition:

  •   Barnsley Design Centre:  27/10/03 – 24/11/03
  •   Dean Clough, Halifax:  29/11/03 – 04/01/04
  •   Media Centre, Huddersfield:  05/01/04 – 31/01/04
  •   designerblock04, Milan, Italy:  14/04/04 - 19/04/04
  •   designersblock04, London:  22/10/04  - 26/10/04

Automake and FutureFactories

  • Hub: National Centre for Craft and Design    03/05/08 - 08/06/08
  • FutureFactories, EuroMold Frankfurt  01/12/10 – 04/12/10
  • State of the Art, EuroMold Frankfurt  29/11/11 - 02/12/11
  • FutureFactories, Art-Metz, Metz France  23/03/12 - 26/03/12

Curated Group Exhibitions:-

  • A Few Domestic Objects Interrogate a Few Works of Art
  • Mary Boone Gallery, New York: 2005
  • Permanent Design Collection, MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art, New York: from 2005 
  • Generator.X, National Museum of Art, Oslo: 2005
  • Perimeters, Boundaries, and Borders, Lancaster, UK: 2006
  • Swell, future friendly design, Vancouver: 2007
  • Digitability, DesignMai, Berlin: May 2007
  • Funky, Helsinki, Finland: September 2007
  • The Art of Research, Helsinki: October 2007
  • Colour Days: Warsaw, Poland: October 2007

Consultancy work

  • Generative Design
  • Design for additive manufacture
  • Design for additive manufacture in metals
  • Showcase designs produced for Cookson Precious Metals, EOS GmbH, Renishaw plc, and 3T RPD ltd

Currently Available

Current research students

  • Nehal Almerbati (PhD)- 2nd supervisor
  • Michaela Hawes (MA), School of Design – 1st supervisor

Case studies

Speaker by invitation

  • One day digital manufacturing symposium, Barcelona, Spain, June 2008
  • New Materials and Processes in Jewellery, one day seminar, Inst. of Materials,     London, June 08
  • Rapid Manufacturing Conference, Loughborough, UK, July 2008
  • Time Compression Technologies Conference, UK, October 2008
  • Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing in the Creative Industries, RPMA one-day seminar, JIIC, Birmingham, November 2008
  • Co-chair one-day symposium “Digital Art & Design”, De Montfort, November 2009.
  • Wohlers Conference 2011, EuroMold, Frankfurt, Germany, November 2011

Keynote speaker

  • Rapdasa, Johannesburg, South Africa 2011
  • International design competition jury member
  • iCAT Freeform Challenge 2012, iCAT Slovenia
  • Purmundus Challenge 2012, EuroMold, Frankfurt Germany

Work featured in publications:-

  • FutureFactories: design work by Lionel T Dean Ed. Paul Atkinson, 2003, ISBN 1862180474
  • 1000 New Designs, Laurence King, 2006. p284, ISBN 1-85669-466-6
  • Twenty-First Century Design, Carlton Bks 2007. pp234-235, ISBN1-84442-269-0
  • All light! All right?, Hangaram Design Museum, Korea: 2007. PP51-52
  • Simply Material, Viction:ary, 2007. pp72-73, 78-82, ISBN 978-988-98228-7-3
  • Process, Lawrence King, 2008, Entropia, pp70-73 ISBN 978-1-85669-541-1
  • Nature, Inspiration for Art & Design, Monsa: 20808 pp128-129
  • ISBN 978-84-96823-35-8
  • Perimeters, Boundaries and Borders, Fast-UK, 08 pp42-43, ISBN 978-0-6152-1355-2
  • Automake and FutureFactories, Hub: 2008, ISBN 978-0-9548015-7-1
  • British Design, MoMA, New York: 2010, p134, ISBN 978-0-87070-781-0
  • State Of The Art, FutureFactories: 2012, ISBN 978-0-9571025-0-7