Workshop Title:

Extended Touch: CNC Fabrication

Workshop Basic Info

Date:

April 18th, 2025 (UTC+1)

Organizer:

Kingston School of Art

Workshop Chair:

Mr. Yoav Casp
Senior Lecturer in Kingston University

Personal Bio:

Yoav Caspi is a senior lecturer, architect, and sculptor. Yoav leads Yoca Design, a practice sculpting reliefs and lamps. The practice draws inspiration from architectural language, investigating landscapes and their inhabitants through reliefs. The lamps add another dimension to the sculpting practice through illumination.

Yoav’s research focuses on advanced fabrication techniques and materials that inform unique and sustainable designs. He is a senior lecturer at the Architectural Association and Kingston School of Art where he leads a design studio. Yoav holds a MArch with commendation from the Architectural Association and a Fellowship of Higher Education (FHEA) from Kingston University. He previously taught as a postgraduate unit master in the MArch course at London Southbank University. As an architect, Yoav gained experience at several renowned UK-based practices including David Kohn Architects, AHMM and Tonkin Liu. At David Kohn Architects, he contributed to the shortlisted entry to reimagine the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery and the design of New College in Oxford. At Tonkin Liu, he designed the roof of the Sun Rain Rooms which won the RIBA Award 2017.

Yoav’s work has been exhibited internationally in London, Budapest and Jerusalem. Yoav is the recipient of the Mike Davies Award and the Eileen Gray Award and was nominated for the AA Honours and the AA Prize. He served as a member and a trustee of the AA Council, the AA governing body.

Workshop Committee Members

Senior Woodshop Technician Mark Vernon, Kingston School of Art

Senior Technician and Lecturer Angela Ford, Kingston School of Art

Background

Computer Numerical Control (CNC) refers to a process in which digital information is sent to a mechanical tool that automates and executes a specific task. Traditionally used in industries like automotive and furniture manufacturing, CNC has also gained prominence in architecture and the arts. Initially employed to produce site models, CNC has evolved over the past decade, becoming integral in architectural practice and construction for fabricating complex architectural elements and large-scale components. Beyond its technical utility, CNC has influenced artistic expression, enabling artists and architects to create intricate moulds and sculptures that merge technology with traditional craftsmanship. From a sociocultural perspective, CNC fabrication represents a growing intersection of art, technology, and design, reflecting shifts in how digital tools reshape creative processes and cultural production in contemporary society. As an architect, academic, and sculptor, I employ CNC techniques to bridge these disciplines, producing moulds and reliefs that explore the interplay between art and technology.

Goal/Rationale:

CNC fabrication offers transformative possibilities for both architecture and fine art, reshaping not only creation but also how we engage with design in society. Its automated process enables highly detailed, high-quality designs in less time, central to my work at Kingston School of Art and the Architectural Association. By producing site models, architectural elements, and sculptures with precision, CNC significantly reduces labor costs and time. From a sociocultural perspective, CNC democratizes design, allowing broader access to high-precision production. It bridges traditional craftsmanship with digital techniques, redefining how art and architecture are perceived and produced in contemporary society.

Call for Papers

Scope and Information for Participants:

This workshop is aimed at students, researchers, and individuals interested in CNC fabrication as a sculpting technique, with a focus on its applications in fine art and cultural studies. The conference will explore how CNC fabrication can be used to create reliefs and sculptures, encouraging participants to develop their design language and engage with landscapes or characters that inhabit them. The goal is to exchange experiences and ideas among participants, and to share achievements in both the physical and digital realms of art. It is also expected to offer solutions, recommendations, and discuss how CNC techniques can be applied in larger cultural contexts, from interior design to large-scale cultural buildings. Several keywords are listed to guide the thematic focus, including CNC fabrication, digital sculpting, and cultural expression, but the topics are not limited to these.

Keywords

Sculpture
Fine Art in Culture
Cultural Architecture
CNC Milling
Advanced Fabrication
Mould Making
Plaster Casting in Public Spaces

Topics

Arts & Media

Fine Arts and Visual Arts
Cultural Arts
Dance Arts
Art of Music
Traditional Media
Electronic Broadcasting Media
New Media or Digital Media

Culture & Sociology

Theoretical Sociology
Historical Sociology
Sociology of Knowledge
Criminology
Sociology of Religion
Sociology of Economy
Rural Sociology
Urban Sociology
Political Sociology
Sociology of Demography
Sociology of Law
Industrial Sociology
Anthropology
Intercultural Communication & Cross-cultural Studies

Submission

All submitted papers should report original and unpublished work, experimental or theoretical, and are not under consideration for publications elsewhere. All papers should be no less than 4 pages in length and must strictly follow the format of the workshop template. All papers are subject to reviews and edits. Prospective authors are kindly invited to submit full text papers that includes title, abstract, introduction, tables/figures and references. Other styles of papers are not accepted. Please submit your papers in both .doc/.docx AND .pdf formats as attachments via email to [email protected] by the given deadline. It is unnecessary to submit an abstract in advance.

Publication

Accepted papers of the workshop will be published in Communications in Humanities Research (Print ISSN 2753-7064), and will be submitted to Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI), Crossref, CNKI, Portico, Google Scholar and other databases for indexing. The situation may be affected by factors among databases like processing time, workflow, policy, etc.

* The papers will be exported to production and publication on a regular basis. Early-registered papers are expected to be published online earlier.

Ways to Participate

To break the barriers of time and space and to provide seamless communication opportunities for worldwide scholars, both online and offline participation methods are supported for the workshop. Participants are encouraged to bring their own insights, experiences, and examples to share with the group through either presenting a poster online or attending in person.

Poster Session

The poster session will provide an opportunity for researchers to present their work in a visual and interactive way, allowing for more engagement and discussion with other attendees. Authors of qualified papers will be invited to present their works with digital posters. We believe that this online poster session will still be a great platform for participants to share, discuss, and cooperate.

All accepted authors will receive an invitation email to present at the official workshop website. Please note that all poster presenters must submit the poster before April 11, 2025. Detailed information on your presentation date and time will be confirmed closer to the meeting. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Poster Presentation Guidelines

Poster presentations must be prepared using the template provided:
*Poster layout template for poster presentation (download)

*Poster layout background (download)
Posters should generally be in A1 size (width: 594mm x height: 841mm) and include the followings:

Title, author and co-author names, and the affiliation(s) information.

Body parts, including "Abstract", "Introduction", "Methods", "Results", "Discussion" and "Conclusions".
Presenters are suggested to set the font size properly and avoid placing anything at the margin part of the poster as it will be difficult to view.
Posters should be well illustrated. All the pictures used should be high quality and with high resolution.
All the posters will be displayed online on the official website. Each poster will have both a small thumbnail and a full-size version.
Posters will be displayed during the online session. After the presentation is over, the full-size version of all posters will become invisible. But thumbnails still can be seen on the website.

(You can refer to the instructions for more detailed information. Additional presentation guidelines may be announced by workshop committees.)

Attendance Onsite

The workshop welcomes participants to attend on-site and share the innovative experiences and researches with the group. Therefore, we provide some general information about the visa application. If you want to attend the workshop on-site, please email the workshop

committee:[email protected].

Visa

Welcome to GOV.UK

In order to ensure the information is correct and up to date, there may be changes which we are not aware of. And different countries have different rules for the visa application. It is always a good idea to check the latest regulations in your country. This page just gives some general information of the visa application.

UK Visa Information

What you need to do

Check if what you plan to do in the UK is allowed as a Standard Visitor.
Check you meet the eligibility requirements.
Check if you need to apply for a visa to visit the UK.
Apply for a Standard Visitor visa online - if you need one.

Check you meet the eligibility requirements

You must have a passport or travel document to enter the UK. It should be valid for the whole of your stay.

You must be able to show that:

you'll leave the UK at the end of your visit
you're able to support yourself and your dependants during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)
you're able to pay for your return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)
you'll not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home

Check if you need a visa to visit the UK

Depending on your nationality, you'll either:

have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before you travel to the UK
be able to visit the UK for up to 6 months without needing a visa

You can check if you need a visa before you apply.

If you do not need a visa, you must still meet the Standard Visitor eligibility requirements to visit the UK. You may be asked questions at the UK border about your eligibility and the activities you plan to do.