DARAPRIM DOLLAR $IGN appropriates the idea of Bling to comment on the often outrageous and profit(money)-driven price hikes on drugs when they are acquired by pharmaceutical companies. In particular it is inspired by the increased cost of the drug Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 (over 500% increase) after it was acquired by Turning Pharmaceuticals. The CEO, Martin Shkreli has been known to live an ostentatious lifestyle that includes a boat and quoting Wu Tang Clan and Kanye on Twitter, which makes this mash up particularly appropriate.

The project was built in Rhino. An attempt was made to duplicate the modules and adhere them to the surface of the dollar sign using Grasshopper, but there were some limitations that I haven’t quite worked through in time to print for the project deadline. Plus, aesthetically the hand-placed molecules look better than the procedurally placed ones.

I printed twice, but the second print failed because I was trying to print lines that were way too fine for the MakerBot (above). The first print, which ended up being the final print (below), was hand-repaired and spray painted to give it more bling and structural stability.