Rising Sun FPV

Tide Walkers 2024

Recycled 3D-printed PETG, recycled trash, and synthetic polymer paint
180 x 400 x 400 cm

About the Work

Tide Walkers is a 3D-printed installation by Rising Sun FPV featuring two towering crabs—each standing 1.8 metres tall—and a hermit crab the size of a small dog, along with a mantis shrimp. Printed in PETG and hand-finished with acrylic paint, the sculptures integrate environmental storytelling with advanced fabrication methods. The crab carries pieces of discarded human waste as its shell, representing the adaptive strategies of nature in response to humans’ impact.

The PETG filament used in this work was made from recycled plastic with the help of RSX, Rising Sun FPV’s sister company, which specialises in filament extrusion and sustainable material innovation. In addition, members of Rising Sun FPV and their families have collected rubbish from Townsville and surrounding beaches, repurposing these materials into jewellery and embedded objects that adorn the sculptures—bringing real-world impact into the artwork itself.

Inspired by the theme of ‘Trace-less’, Tide Walkers reflects how natural life leaves only fleeting marks, while human waste persists—until nature reclaims it.

About the Artist

Rising Sun FPV is a Townsville-based creative collective led by Zak Martin-Taylor. Specialising in drone racing, FPV systems, and industrial-scale 3D printing, the group transforms digitally driven processes into sculptural works that explore intersections between sustainability, technology, and ecology.

The Tide Walkers project was made possible through collaboration with several veteran-owned businesses within RSFPV’s trusted creative network, including RSX (material and recycling solutions), S3DP (precision 3D printing), Standfast Acrylics (custom fabrication), and Spack. au (concept design and modelling).

Tide Walkers is the collective’s first large-scale sculptural piece created specifically for public exhibition. While the project explores familiar themes of impermanence, environmental responsibility, and adaptation, it does so through a new artistic lens. By stepping outside their technical comfort zone, Rising Sun FPV aims to spark conversation around human impact and nature’s quiet resilience—even in places where our presence is meant to be trace-less.