Biography
I became interested in stereoscopic imagery through a friend while attending San Jose State University in 1994. We shared a gallery space together and his project involved making the shadows of people entering the space appear 3D by carefully positioned red and green lights and corresponding glasses. It was a great concept. I had my digital artwork in the same space and while it did not add depth to the work it did drastically alter its appearance; it seemed illuminated from within and appeared to shimmer. This experience started an exploration into methods for making art that added something to the viewers experience beyond flat 2D digitally output prints. Others had similar ideas, forms of VR like the CAVE were increasingly popular in the Silicon Valley where I lived, and those books with the annoying stereograms that cause migraines were flooding bookstores.
My graduate show for the school turned out to be a display of anaglyphic 3D work. Seven pieces, floating in deep frames, portrayed a selection of scenes from the book of genesis. They were not bible illustrations but recontextualized moments from the book, done respectfully, but exaggerated to make a point. Next to each work was a wall mounted table on which rested a bible and pair of 3D glasses. The show was very well received, and watching people have fun interacting with the work was gratifying. The aspect of audience interaction and participation became a driving force in the work I began planning.
I experimented some more with anaglyph imagery but eventually found lenticular work more appealing. It did not require external devices to portray depth and was capable of creating motion at the same time. But it is not nearly as easy to make lenticular artwork as it is simple stereo imagery, and there were several pieces of equipment I did not have at the time. While I kept exploring lenticular methods I continued making art through other means until all of the pieces fell in place. By 2004 I had upgraded a few older pieces of equipment and was finally able to produce lenticular work in earnest. The lenticular series Science Shows You How was completed in March of 2006.
I have been excited to see the reactions of people to the work. It is "like fire," one friend confessed. While I am happy to take appropriate credit for the reaction it is certainly one of the benefits in working with a medium that is by its nature so fun. That fact tends to polarize people however. Some see only a gimmick, and dismiss anything done with it as pop trash. It is hard to discount their experience, there certainly are plenty of examples of work whose only strength is the medium. The same thing is overwhelmingly true of holography. But that view can unfairly prejudice a viewer. It is really up to the artist, not the medium, to produce something of artistic value. Hopefully as more artists dig deeper into the medium the critics will be unable to make blanket judgments of that kind and there will be a change of attitude.
