3D Projections- Making Reality Virtual

Have you seen any 3D films lately? I remember when the film Avatar came out (December 2009) there was a lot of hype about how it was taking 3D to the next level.  I understand the technology is a major step up from earlier 3D cinema, but when I saw Avatar in 3D, I was overall unimpressed by the disparity between what film reviewers praised and advertised compared to what I actually saw. Sometimes something popped out in the corner of the screen but that was pretty much it. Sorry.

Avatar (2009) is recognized as a ground-breaking 3D film.

Don't get me wrong-- I thought it looked really good. (I'm focusing on form over content.) It's just that the 3D-ness was not so 3D, although it was relatively more 3D than the complete flatness of non-3D film screenings, obviously. I did enjoy the film for its character designs, visual composition, and heavy use of blue. I like blue. But when I saw a couple other films in 3D, I couldn't help but feel ripped off. I did not experience any sense of immersion. The only benefit I see is that instead of red and blue shaded lenses, now you get to wear blurry sunglasses.

Then again, you shouldn't expect too much 3D in films (yet), because 3-dimensional cinema is constrained by a projection surface that is inherently 2-dimensional.

Did you know that there's an even more 3-dimensionally 3D media out there?

There's a particular kind of 3D projection. It's also known as 3D mapping. Given my background in Media Arts, I am familiar with the use of 3D projection in art, sometimes in interactive form. Some new media artists use this technology to create installation pieces, taking existing spaces and architectural structures and then transforming them into 3-dimensional canvases. The main difference between these 3D mapping projects and the common 2D projections used on flat surfaces is that 3D projection has the capability to computationally recognize differences in angle and depth in order to shed light accordingly and even in discrete sections. This way, the 3D projection which I am referring to takes on volume by default of the surface and corresponding technology.

If you run an online video search for "3D projection" or something like that, you can easily view samples of this type of technology. It's also becoming big in advertising. However, let me direct you to the most masterful use of 3D projection I have ever seen. I recently discovered it, and it is exquisite. You don't need special glasses to see it, either.

Under the name Mr. Beam (<--Click for their homepage), a group of artists from the Netherlands create 3D projection works in a highly skillful way and present it with music as a kind of entertainment show. The reason their work stands out to me is not just the technology, but everything else they did with it. ("It's not what you do but how you do it.")

Of their video-recorded works thus far, I think this piece titled "Gent" really showcases the multi-dimensional capabilities of 3D projection.

Licht Festival Gent 2011 from Mr.Beam on Vimeo.

This work highlights the form of the original standing architecture of the buildings with their different angled walls and the center cylindrical structure. I admire Mr. Beam's keen attention to detail in their incorporation of creative animations, eye-candy color palettes, complementary sound design, video production, and online presentation. It looks so clean! All the pieces fit together, complete with a characteristically distinct and immediately memorable logo.

I see this kind of work as a combination of:

- Installation art

- Cinema

- Animation

- 3D modeling
- Computer programming
- Experimental music

- Music video

- Music concert

and 

- Magic show.

 

How does this project function as a precursor to other areas of design and new media? Will it become a form of mass-consumer entertainment? Could 3D projection translate into interactive video games? Where is the line between virtual and reality, and is it changing?

I can imagine being a member of the live audience viewing this show, and I already feel like I am both in awe and a bit freaked out. These are real life structures, but the merging of projected light with 3-dimensional structures makes our material structures look like they are made of light. We often see virtual technology imitate reality; these 3D projection works do the reverse: Reality is made (to look) virtual.

These are all very thought provoking questions, but I leave you with this one: What are some other practical applications of this 3D mapping technology? 3D "holograms" from our laptops? The extinction of 2D screens? Virtual interior designs in our own homes? (See video below!)

My other favorite project by Mr. Beam:

Living Room from Mr.Beam on Vimeo.

Thank you, Mr. Beam, for being so awesome. 

Check out this blog to see more 3D video projection/mapping projects.