Wall Art That Changes With The Light: Shadow Casting Panels

Based on a technique and process described later in this post, Drzach & Suchy have created Shadow Casting Panels that that appear as one image in the morning light and another in the evening light. With some clever image choices like Marilyn Monroe becoming Marilyn Manson, it's evolving art that can be used as installations or wall art of several types.



Multiple images are encoded within a single physical object — a white panel, which displays the separate images under appropriate lighting conditions. The underlying principle of our technique is based on a simple observation: the shadow cast by an object depends not only on the object itself, but also on the light; therefore the same object under changing lighting conditions can totally change its appearance.

The technique of encoding multiple images in a panel, so that single images become visible under varying illumination (so-called Shadow Casting Panels), was invented by Drzach in 2004 (patent pending), and then developed further by Drzach & Suchy.




"Moderne" in the morning light:


"Moderne" in the evening light:


"Moderne" in every step in between:


Marilyn(s):




Point Of View (Hitchock's Psycho images):




Pop(e) Culture:




Co-exist:


Videos of the light changing art

Relativity:


Idol:


Batman:


Obama or McCain:


Installations:




The process:






Shadow Casting Panels (SCP) is a novel way for storing and presenting multiple images using one physical object. The images to be stored in a panel are first rasterized and converted to a black-and-white format, and then jointly encoded into the panel. More precisely, the images are considered in a pixel-by-pixel manner, and for each pixel of the an appropriate building block is placed at the corresponding place in the panel. The type of the block depends on the colors of the particular pixel in the images to be encoded. The actual blocks can have various geometries, yielding a variety of possible designs and perceptions.

The technique of encoding multiple images in a panel, so that single images become visible under varying illumination (so-called Shadow Casting Panels), was invented by Drzach in 2004 (patent pending), and then developed further by Drzach & Suchy. For more details as to how this works and the process see the original thesis as a pdf here.

If you'd like to purchase or exhibit any of the presented works, or are interested in the Shadow Casting Panels technology, please contact them at DrzachSuchy@gmail.com.

Their website.

Eerie & Beautiful Art By Brooks "Shane" Salzwedel and Upcoming Solo Show

If you read design and trend blogs, you may already be familiar with "Shane" resin cast belt buckles and jewelry. Featured on several popular design sites, the Artist/Designer Brooks Shane Salzwedel never intended to become an accessory designer. While studying at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design, his art became smaller and smaller until each piece was about the size of a belt buckle.



The casted resin belt buckles contain eerie yet beautifully illustrative images. In them, one might find an owl, deer, crow, or even a cityscape among foliage and fog. A hand-laid process creates a depth not often found in buckles and accessories. Whether solid in rich color or detailed with stunning silhouettes of hawks and great pines, the leather straps are cut, dyed, and painted by hand.
See all of his stunning belt buckles here.

But are you familiar with his actual artwork? Brooks creates beautiful fine art pieces with this same technique. I especially love his pieces created in tin boxes or framed by pipe and resin.












See his work at Tin Lark Gallery here.

NOTCOT, always on the cutting edge, did do a story on his artwork as well as a feature on his jewelry, see the story here.

Be sure to catch his upcoming solo exhibition at Black Maria Gallery
June 28th through July 26th, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, 28th of June 7:00 - 10:30pm

The artists' site.

The Perfect Gift For Father's Day. That Right, Another Tie!

But this is no ordinary tie. It's a Josh Bach tie.



So, what's a Josh Bach Tie?
With clever imagery relevant to hobbies, interests, professions and places, don't mistake these for "novelty" ties. Made of 100% silk, these are well made, nicely designed original stylish neckwear. The patterns are varied and unusual. Some are escher-like, some are artful and some, from afar, can be likened to classic ties from the most expensive designers (we're talking Hermes), yet, up close they will charm you with their whimsy and originality.





Whether you need a gift for your father, brother, broker, buddy, baseball fan or simply yourself, chances are Josh Bach has a tie that suits you- and your suit. Designs range from demolished stadiums to dogbones, paper airplanes to pasta.... there are almost 90 different silk neckties to choose from. All of his ties make a wonderful statement about both the wearer and fashion.

Here are just a few:




Above from upper left clockwise; How To Tie A Tie, Vespa, United States, Cats, Paint By Numbers of The Mona Lisa, Space Invaders, Menorahs and Wheels.

There are so many more, I can't do them justice. To see all of the available patterns in men's ties, go here.

So, is there really a person named Josh Bach?

Formally trained as an architect, and having worked as an art director, Josh drew from experiences in both disciplines to create unique, original products meant to catch the eye. Whether it's bold artwork from the New York City subway map or the subtle pattern of the nighttime constellations, he creates clever, creative and very wearable interpretations of the everyday.

Dad doesn't wear ties? Josh Bach makes mens boxers in many, if not all, of the same great patterns:


See the boxers here.

Dad doesn't wear underwear? He also carries a large selection of black lacquer roller ball pens with various hobbies and professions as the clip:


See the pens here.

In addition to the above, he creates and carries 5" square leather valet trays lined in some of his fun patterns as well as 'catch-alls':


See the valet trays here.

His custom work is fabulous. Take a look at some of the pieces he's created for various companies and consumers here.

FAQS (from his site):
DOES JOSH BACH MANUFACTURE EXTRA LONG TIES?
Our ties are hand finished to a length of 56" and a width of about 3 3/4".

DOES JOSH BACH SELL BOW TIES?
We joined forces with Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont and created bow ties from our best selling designs. They are indicated with this symbol on the website, and can be purchased at www.beautiesltd.com.

DOES JOSH BACH MANUFACTURE CHILDREN'S TIES?
Currently we only offer men's standard length ties (56" in length and a width of about 3 3/4").

DO JOSH BACH TIES COME IN DIFFERENT COLOR CHOICES?
A few of our designs are available in different color choices, but for the most part we only offer one color pattern. Our ties are driven more by concept and less by fashion trends. We do keep in mind wearable when we design our patterns, and that's why you'll find most of our ties come in traditional tones of blues and reds.

Manufactured in the heart of New York City, right at the South Street Seaport.

So, what are you waiting for? Father's Day will be here before you know it!
JoshBach.com

Pack Of Dogs Furniture by NEL, Now Being Produced By Proteak.

At the 2007 Salone Satellite in Milan, these pieces were based roughly on the shape of a dog, in different sizes and positions.



Above: Pack of Dogs pieces as they were first introduced

The characters, named after famous Mexican wrestlers (Dos caras Jr, Aguayo, Superastro, El Santo, Alushe and Mistico) follow you around your house or office, and may work as a side table, stool, bench, bookshelf, magazine rack, newspaper holder, bookends, etc. By the way each piece is used, and the objects that interact with it, a different story is told.

The pieces were manufactured by way of traditional woodworking techniques using scraps of solid wood such as tzalam, ash, red oak, poplar, alder, walnut, and pine.


Above: the teak version now being produced by Proteak.

Now, with a slightly different design, the pieces are being manufactured and mass produced in teak by Proteak. The pieces shown below are made of FSC certified young teak.






In September of 2007, during the Designboom's "Handled with care" exhibition at the London Design Festival, NEL showed their collection "Pack of dogs". This time the pieces were made in ceramic.

The "Pack of dogs 2" is a series of ceramic multifunction pieces based roughly on the shape of a dog, in different sizes and positions. These characters, named after famous Mexican wrestlers (/Dos caras Jr, Aguayo, Superastro, El Santo, Alushe /and/ Místico/) may work as a side table, stool, bench, bookshelf, magazine rack, newspaper holder, bookends, etc.




The Pack of Dogs collection is now being manufactured by Pirwi, using FSC certified young teak from Proteak. Please visit Pirwi's website for more information.

The Pack of Dogs collection is available in the US through Kirk Gallery in Austin.

For sales in the rest of the world you can order the dogs online at www.proteak.com , or by contacting Pirwi at www.pirwi.com

As far as I can tell, the ceramic version is not being mass produced.

Pack of Dogs designers: Ricardo Casas, Héctor Esrawe, Emiliano Godoy, Cecilia León de la Barra, Óscar Núñez

About NEL:



NEL is a platform for experimentation formed by an evolving collective of Mexican designers. The collective serves as a channel to create and exhibit projects that focus on the conceptual and playful side of design. The organic nature of the collective allows for an ever changing pool of designers, which in turn generates a wide variety of projects that range from political statements to playful storytelling or aesthetic explorations.