dissolution

Dissolution is a series of suspended 3D lenticular prints, carefully arranged spatially above a seven by ten foot platform. What is unique in this project is the way these 3D illusions are arranged compositionally in conjunction with the real space of the physical sculpture. This introduces a whole new forum for aesthetic and conceptual investigation, where spatial relationships are multiplexed.

The triptych is loosely organized into three guiding principles: Energy, Architecture, and Dissolution. These ideas are approached in the form of the sculptures and the array of images embedded in each. Energy embodies the abstracted physical form of an approaching Tsunami wave, the images reflecting this reality but awash with dynamic activity. Architecture mirrors the form of a simple sand structure that a child might build, but the surfaces will also contain images of more sophisticated structures, similar to those washed away in the Tsunami disaster. The height of this central element is key to the whole piece, as I want the sandcastle to be oversized, as if the adult viewer had been shortened to the height of a young child. Dissolution shows the wreckage and silence after the interaction of the previous two elements, sculpturally constructed as layers of receding waveforms with images of isolation and a dissolving relationship to form. These principles are not strictly defined, but rather serve as ideas around which the flow of the experience gathers.

The surfaces of the forms swim with alternating perspectives, cycling through images that pull the viewer into disparate understandings of the experience. Yet within this complex form certain themes rise to the surface. Innocence of childhood experiences, how they forever frame your conception of reality, and the impossibility of truly knowing the truth of an experience at a distance. This is achieved through the creative use of the 3 and 1/2 dimension compositional space, where real images and digital compositing are arranged together in a aesthetic that fluidly combines the photorealistic with computer graphics to create a psychologically charged landscape.

I developed numerous technical achievements in the project that enable continued innovative exploration:

* Design and construction of 3D camera rig using duel professional SLR still cameras to capture high-resolution stereoscopic images.

* Digital 3D high resolution workflow over multiple software and hardware platforms to calibrate and maximize image quality.

* Methods for designing and constructing in multidimensional space in a virtual environment (an illusionary depth appearing on the surface of a physical installation).

Another way in which the project grew was to incorporate CNC machining into the creation of the forms. All of the final pieces are carefully cut to match the curves designed in the 3D modeling program, and translated to the machining device. This allows creation of complex silhouettes in the sculptural planes that flow from panel to panel to create continuous contours.

The original working title, Then, has been changed to the permanent title Dissolution, in part to reflect this transformation. All research has been completed, involving the creation of several new methods of working with photographic images in a 3D context. The final sculpture is currently under production. A version of the work in progress (Study for Then) was exhibited in Reykjavik, Iceland for the SensAble Technologies conference and art exhibition in May of 2006.

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