Back in April, two New York artists caused quite a stir when they placed a bust of Edward Snowden atop a pillar on the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn with a plaque that read, “Hero.” The 100-pound bust of Snowden was quickly taken down, but now, thanks to a file on Thingiverse, Snowden fans with a 3D printer can print out an 8-inch replica of the bust for themselves.
Both the file and the original bust were created by artists Andrew Tider, Jeff Greenspan, and Doyle Trankina. The original goals of the bust were to spread awareness for Snowden’s actions, and to celebrate the whistleblower’s legacy. Since the bronze bust is no longer on display, the artists decided to open up the design to anyone who wants to have their very own version of it at home.
“It would be great if people put these in public spaces and Instagrammed them, or put photos on Twitter and Facebook to project them around the world,” Greenspan said speaking to Wired. “Anywhere it can get people thinking about surveillance, your rights and liberties, it would be wonderful.”
While it might take quite a bit of time to convince many Americans to embrace Snowden’s stance against the NSA, it’s almost certain that those who print the bust will do so to honor his actions and declare him a hero.
“We figured, not everyone needs to be so theatrical and dramatic and guerilla and borderline illegal to make a statement. Everyone can have their small way of keeping the ball up in the air,” said Greenspan.
Since the original bronze bust was first taken down, Greenspan and the other artists have recovered it from the NYPD and have been receiving support to find the Snowden bust a permanent home.