ATOMIC 66 -- Printmaking at QUELAB

We made prints during the ATOMIC 66 events in Albuquerque -- when QUELAB had an Open House on Friday, June 13, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM:

QUELAB was part of the ATOMIC 66 events in Albuquerque

Adric, the president of Quelab,

opening the gate for the Atomic Open House

The final aim was to make a quick collaborative EXQUISITE TESSELLATION Print:

The first collaborative big 

EXQUISITE TESSELLATION Print

We used this INTERACTIVE ONLINE TESSELLATION program to make a Curvy alternative tessellation monotile -- and then Adam cut these shapes out of stiff foam with a CNC.  These were the stiff foam tessellation shapes that we asked visitors to draw/gouge into with a ball point pen:

The Curvy Tessellation shape

download: monotile3.SVG (1.42 KB)

CNC cutting TESSELLATION TILES

Adam had previously cut the stiff foam in to tessellation shapes

with a CNC at Quelab

We asked visitors to draw/gouge a design into the curvy stiff foam with ball point pens (like we had done in Taos):

Before and After --

The stack of curvy stiff foam pieces,

and some of the resulting framed individual prints from them

Lindsey and friend

pushing designs into stiff foam with ball point pens

We shared the space at Quelab that night with Ethan Moses -- of CAMERDACTYL -- who was taking photos, and developing them with his quick printing Polaroid-like system, made with components that he had 3D printed:

Ethan gouging a design into stiff foam

with a ball point pen --

next to some of the photos he had taken

Ethan halfway into his drawing

on the stiff foam tessellation tile

Printing with an Adjustable Tortilla Press

Ethan's final print masterpiece!

More individual prints on the Tortilla Press

EXQUISITE TESSELLATION Print

We pieced the first finished foam tiles together to make a bigger collaborative EXQUISITE TESSELLATION Print -- our big goal of the night:

With enough tiles

we made a collaborative EXQUISITE TESSELLATION print

The quick collaborative EXQUISITE TESSELLATION print

*****

Sherie and Brian designing their tessellation tiles

Sherie's print

The fresh print was pressed onto paper

and made this second print, 

which was pretty good actually

Brian printing with the Tortilla Press

Brian's print

A visiting family saw Quelab listed with the Atomic 66 events, and made prints with us:

Another print masterpiece!

The son wanted to print on the small Tortilla Press:

A Styrofoam print

made on the small Tortilla Press

TOOLS

Some of the artists used other tools to make their tessellation designs:

Other tools for making designs

into the stiff foam tessellation tile

Aaron made a stylus tool quickly,

on the grinder in the next room,

to gouge the stiff foam

MORE PRINTS

Aaron

Ally

Lindsey

Adam Berman at UNM

had carved this tile earlier

ALTERNATIVE Tessellations

Adam Berman, the printmaking studio manager at UNM,

had carved this tessellation tile earlier

Adric

(mirrored tile)

June 11, 2025

Adric at Quelab

had also designed his tile earlier

June 11, 2025

Tile by a younger artist

Karl (Krrrl)

ALTERNATIVE Tessellations

Krrrl gouged his tile out in Santa Fe

at Ikonick Coffee

The print table

CAMERDACTYL

While we were printing, Ethan was taking and developing photos with his CAMERDACTYL equipment that he had 3D printed:

Ethan (right) and Aaron (left) relaxing

before the storm of taking photos

Ethan taking photos

Adam in front of the photos

that Ethan had taken earlier

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Ally shows off objects

that she 3D printed at Quelab

The main ATOMIC 66 event at QUELAB was by NOVENTUM CUSTOM SOFTWARE,
which was running the drone in the lower parking lot:

The NOVENTUM drone was the main focus at Quelab

of the ATOMIC 66 Open House

Adam put an LED sign in the window of the ground floor 

facing Central Ave (Route 66)

The moving LED sign

in the window at Quelab

PREVIOUSLY

We had also printed during previous events at the National Nuclear Museum in Albuquerque:

National Nuclear Museum -- Live Printmaking

We made prints at the National Nuclear Museum

with Quelab in 2024

National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

We showed prints at the National Nuclear Museum

with Quelab in 2023

The EXQUISITE TESSELLATION Print

hanging the hallway of Quelab

• Route 66 will be 100 Years Old next year-- so ATOMIC 66 was one of the early events in Albuquerque leading up to the big celebration next year: 2026

• ATOMIC 66  was also emphasizing the SPACE VALLEY, of high tech institutions along the Rio Grande in New Mexico