Cristo Paisa, made with 3D printing, is inaugurated in Comuna 13 of Medellín, Colombia

The Communications Office of the ITM University Institution (Metropolitan Technological Institute) reported the inauguration of the so-called “Cristo Paisa”, a monumental sculpture 11 meters high and that has been made with 3D printing, located in the famous commune 13 of Medellín , Colombia.

Commune 13 San Javier is located in the western hills of the capital of the department of Antioquia. For years it was the birthplace of the hitmen of the famous drug lord, Pablo Escobar, and was an epicenter of violence and crime. A few years ago this place was able to recover and is now one of the tourist attractions of Medellín.

“This project is an example of how innovation and technology can transform and improve people’s quality of life,” says Alejandro Sierra Osorio, ITM teacher, in a video provided to ACI Prensa. “We hope that this sculpture becomes a symbol of hope and transformation for the sector and Medellín,” he adds.

Alejandro Londoño, mechatronics engineering student at ITM, comments that he feels “very proud of everything we have achieved, thanks to ITM and Creality technology. (…) What began as a process of solely educational interest has become something that impacts the community and we give color and life to this creative process.”

Creality is the company that has provided more than 30 large-format 3D printing machines, with which they have produced the more than 1,700 pieces that make up the Cristo Paisa, which is reminiscent of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Businessman Jamerson Restrepo, “the head behind the Christ of 13 project” as he himself states, comments that he had the idea of ​​bringing the image of Christ to commune 13 “but I wanted to give it color, I wanted to give it life, so we decided Put a poncho and a carrier on it. And since commune 13 is color and life, we put the yellow, blue and red that represents the Colombian flag.”

The poncho paisa is a classic piece of outerwear in Antioquia, while the carriel is another typical element in that area of ​​the South American country: a leather bag usually carried by rural men.

Restrepo indicated that the objective of “Cristo Paisa”, prepared by about 40 people for a month and a half, is that “tourism grows by at least 10% in commune 13, which will benefit many families in this neighborhood.”

The sculpture, made with biodegradable materials, is covered with glass and resin, to withstand climatic changes such as the strong sun and rain that are common in Medellín.

The ITM Communications Office specifies that the “Cristo Paisa” weighs 600 kilos and reaches 2 tons if you count the metal structure that surrounds it. It is located on the second landing of the escalators in commune 13.