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Holographic Art, the New Medium for the Twenty First Century
Some of the following discussion is extracted from an earlier paper
“Holography: The Ultimate Collectible of the Twenty First Century”, which
described collecting and appreciating holographic art. The discussions
have been expanded to include a more detailed description of critiquing
holographic art. This section will be expanded even more as the MAGHIC (My
Art Gallery of Holograpahy and Its Critique) evolves.
Holography has existed as an art medium for less than thirty years and in
the minds of some art critics is hardly a legitimate medium at all.
Salvador Dali is probably the only giant in art who used the medium to
produce a few works before he died. More recently a well-known artist, Don
Close, made a temporary exploration into the use of holography, but failed
totally in making any advancements or creating anything memorable. Other
heroic, less famous, holographic artists are struggling to keep the medium
alive. One can only speculate whether any of the holograms produced as art
will have a lasting value and ultimately find a place in a respectable
gallery as a priceless work of art. I am one of those who believes
holography is
the one medium that can play a dominant roll in art and maybe even save the
world of art.
Up until the mid nineteenth century hand rendered drawings, paintings, and
sculpture were the only images people could view. Hand rendered drawings
and paintings evolved from abstract symbolism to near photographic
rendition after various forms of perspective were discovered. It is
difficult to imagine how exciting it must have been to walk from an
imageless world into a church and view magnificent pictures of the bible
story. Imagine the power of those who controlled the only form of imagery
available. Imagine the impact of highly representative art upon archival
history. For obvious reasons, religions and governments have always
attempted to control imagery, and this attempt to control imagery
continues today.
In the 19th century, photography provided a way to represent the world in
two dimensions with images similar to what we see on our retina.
Photography dealt a crippling blow to hand rendered art by providing a
limitless supply of almost perfect images of the real world. Ironically,
the very discovery of perception and retinally correct rendering by
artists set up the field of art for its replacement by photography.
Society's perception of artists changed forever. Ultimately, photography
took its own place in art and was used by artists to both create and
augment the creation of art. Artists have since struggled through a series
of isms searching for the one magical way of representing the world that
could recapture their place and power in society. After Classicism,
artists gave us impressionism, abstraction, expressionism, Dadaism,
realism, surrealism, minimalism, and so on, but the public still relies
largely on photography to provide its images of the world. Perhaps if
artists had stuck to more fundamental representations that were not
reproducible by photography, such as those used by the Egyptians for
thousands of years, this may never have happened.
The medium of holography offers artists a possibility to recover some of
the losses dealt by photography. Herein lies a new way to present imagery.
Holographic art already exists in the forms of original unique pieces,
limited editions, collages, sculptures, and installations, and can be
mixed with all other media. Nevertheless, few artists have really
exploited the medium to its greatest extent.
Describing Holograms
Almost anyone who sees a holographic art piece immediately asks, "How was
it made?"
I recommend two possible ways to answer the question, a simple one, and a
more complicated one if the first does not satisfy the questioner.
Answer number one: Holograms are made somewhat like photographs; however,
laser light is used (except for computer generated holograms). The unique
properties of laser light allow the artist to capture and reproduce all of
the optical information in a scene so that we can look at the complete
realistic 3-D scene again in the hologram. Holography enables manipulating
light and color more directly than photography does.
Answer number two: A hologram is an art medium on glass, metal, or plastic
or similar substrate that has been treated to allow it to reflect and
transform impinging light in an unusual way. The finished hologram
essentially contains many millions of microscopic mirrors that redirect
light rays so that they duplicate the light that had originally come from
a scene chosen by an artist. By doing this, the hologram, unlike a photo
or painting, acts like a window with the scene behind it, a window that
allows a viewer to see light rays exactly like those that existed in
previous time that came from an object, a window into the past. When one
looks at a hologram of, say, a person, the hologram causes him to see
essentially the same light that he would see if he were to look at the
real person through a window. So one does not look AT a hologram (as with
a photograph); one looks THROUGH it. The viewed image truly extends over
three dimensions and can be located behind and/or in front of the
hologram.
In addition to this a hologram can manipulate light hitting it from
different angles differently and independently so that many images can be
stored in the same hologram and viewed separately by changing the viewing
angle or the lighting angle. In this way a hologram can be a time evolving
window into the past. These are called multiplex holograms.
The medium of holography provides almost limitless possibilities to an
artist. Holograms deal with light rays directly without the use of
absorbing and reflecting pigments, so images and colors can be much richer
and brighter. The full three spatial dimensions are available for use,
plus the time dimension. Scenes can be produced that are completely
impossible with any other medium, even sculpture. Moreover,
tungsten-halogen lighting that is available today simplifies the display
of holographic art so that it is not much more complicated than
conventional art.
Holographic Art Appreciation and Critique
Like most art, holography can be enjoyed with no training at all, but as
with all art, enjoyment is enhanced through additional education. Viewing
and appreciating holographic art to its fullest requires knowledge that is
unlike anything familiar to us. Specifically, one cannot see the entire
holographic scene from one viewpoint, and unless properly illuminated,
viewing may be poor or even impossible. Studying the content of a hologram
requires the viewer to move about, to stoop, to stand on tiptoes, to move
up, down, and sideways, a movement sometimes known as the hologram-viewers
tango, quite commonly seen where holograms are displayed. One could
conclude on first observation that viewing holograms is difficult when, in
fact, holograms just contain more information that requires additional
viewing. A viewer should explore the entire volume of the image and study
the relationships of all lines and colors to search out the message and
many features in the holographic image.
Holographic art employs many of the same tools and vocabulary as other art
media including, content, form, line, color, texture, value, and shape,
plus a few more, such as dynamics, concealment, surprise, and viewer
participation. The art embodies the artist's communication in more
language than is possible with painting and sculpture. The intent may be
to provide a religious experience, an emotional reaction, a history, a
narrative, an intellectual experience, or some other experience. The art
can be symbolic or represent reality directly. A viewer should seek out
the original meaning and objective of the artist.
Holographic art is affected by rapidly evolving technique such as
recording, processing, the chemistry, bleaching methods and the
optimization procedures. Artists publish some of the procedures while
others are kept secret and proprietary. (Not unlike oil painting of 150
years ago, before paint could be bought in tubes.) Consequently, the
technical quality of a holographic work of art can vary drastically from
one artist to another, simply because the superior techniques and the
superior materials are not yet available to all artists. A technical
signature, over and above that of the artist, may identify the producer of
the hologram.
Like photography, this art form can employ a separate specialist to
produce the hologram. The artist may also be the technician, but he also
may not even know how the final work was created. Numerous holography
laboratories are available for artists to use, though they are not
inexpensive. For example, The Laser Reflections Gallery in San Francisco
has formed BACH (Bay Area Center for Holography) which is planned to
provide a laboratory where artists can work without having to develop
their own technology. This should offer an incentive to the artists who
would like to explore the medium, but who have not been able to afford or
learn the required technology. The technology and vocabulary of
holographic art will be in a rapid development period for at least another
twenty or thirty years, so artists may well choose this route rather than
attempt to keep up with the technology themselves.
The technical and esthetic qualities of holographic art can be judged
independently and require completely different types of knowledge. The
following are factors:
1. Esthetics
a. Visual impact on the viewer
b. (Content or subject) the message or meaning
c. Balance, movement, repetition, rhythm, contrast, patterns, and color
e. Form (Style); the method used to present the work to the viewer
2. Technique
a. Materials and chemistry
b. Technology used in recording and processing the hologram
c. Display Technology
d. Interaction of technology and esthetics
e. Exploitation of the medium
The esthetic factors are mostly the same as in any art medium, and to some
extent any art critic can judge them as long as he or she is not
prejudiced by the medium. The technical factors can only be completely
understood by a holographic technician trained in the analysis of recorded
holograms, but a critic can be trained to judge the technical factors. The
following paragraphs discuss the factors in more detail.
The technology involved in holographic art is much more complex than that
of most other media. It involves elements of the most advanced fields of
physics, including optics, quantum mechanics, chemistry, lasers and
others. Consequently, the technical quality of today's holographic art
varies drastically from one artist to another. Occasionally, a holographic
artist who displays holograms of poor technical quality will make the
claim that he has done so deliberately and that is his artistic license to
do so. This can also be a weak excuse for not having the capability to do
the technical job correctly. Although artists should have such license,
the art piece will most likely tell the truth itself. Whether or not the
"deliberate" poor technical quality adds or detracts from the work is
usually quite evident.
The art form is more complex but also has more to be enjoyed because the
medium offers the artist an ability to communicate with the viewer that is
not available in any other art form. Holographic art opens up four
dimensions to the artist and allows the direct use of light, providing a
way to open a window into a living pastime. A few imaginative artists have
already produced unique art with holography. Some examples are: mobiles
that exploit the many image capabilities of holograms and the natural
movement of the mobile to constantly change the image; switching lights
that add to the dynamic nature of the hologram by time selecting different
images; mini-movies in a hologram that are viewed by moving one's
viewpoint across the hologram. An artist could produce an ultra modern
version of the medieval "continuing narration" art form... holograms in
windows and skylights that are viewed and time-selected by sunlight;
holograms intended to be viewed differently by people of different
heights. A wide range of representations of time could be devised, for
example, holograms that have different images for different occasions
activated by different lights. Consider the "Nude Maya" and the "Dressed
Maya" by Goya. The possibilities with abstract light and color sculpture
are endless. Holography offers a color palette that cannot be approached
in any medium.
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Holograms: The Ultimate
Collectible of the Twenty First Century
Or
How to Make Your Grandchildren Holomillionaires
By
James D. Trolinger, Ph.D.
MetroLaser, Inc.
Presented at Interferometry ’99
Pultusk Castle, Poland
September, 1999 |
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Introduction
I am a holographile, a collector of holograms. I measure the value of a
hologram by both the esthetic pleasure it gives me and the feeling of
accomplishment I get from possessing it and sharing it with others.
Collecting can turn life into an everlasting treasure hunt. I believe that
collectors fall into two categories, those who collect with the idea of
making money and those who simply have a passion to expand and enjoy their
collection. The market value of any collectible is determined by supply,
demand, and the existence of a marketplace. The purpose of this paper is
to show that holograms and holographic art are absolutely fascinating to
collect, ……..AND that a well conceived collection can make your
grandchildren holomillionaires.
The Eight Stages of a Collectible
Collectibles evolve through critical stages usually beginning with a
collector’s fascination and a more or less illogical decision to retain an
object in one’s possession. Stages common to many collectibles (though not
always occurring in the same order) are:
1. Fascination (with an item)
2. Discovery of the Genus or set to which the item belongs
3. Socialization
4. Demand for Brokerage
5. Demand for Quantity
6. Maturity
And two final stages that signal the end of financial opportunity for the
collector.
7. Imitation
8. Saturation
Fascination with holograms caused me to hold on to the first one I
acquired in 1966, perhaps to enable me to see it again later, or perhaps
to share my fascination with someone else. It was a hologram of a chess
piece, painstakingly made by a friend. Chess pieces were used extensively
as subjects in the beginning because they were white, small and
recognizable, needing little light to record. Holograms had just come into
existence and so few were available they were not recognized as
collectible. A few years passed before artists seriously considered the
medium for use.
Someone, somewhere, will find fascination in almost everything in
existence (e.g. Edsel hood ornaments), but a very limited number end up
with a significant market value. In the first stage of evolution,
collectibles may have no intrinsic value since their original purpose has
ended. They can even have negative value of taking up useful space.
Soon I recognized that my original hologram was part of an emerging genre,
a class of many, and ultimately many classes of many. Still fascinated
with holograms, I saved a second, then a third, and finally, almost
unconsciously became a holographile. I began the hunt, actively expanding
my collection and developing search and find techniques. I am a first
generation holographile since I discovered their collectibility for
myself.
In the third (socialization) stage, I observed the emergence of other
holographiles who quickly became both competitors and friends. Some of my
own league of helpers, originally enlisted to send me holograms, became
holographiles themselves. Communities of holographiles began socializing
with collection at the center of the social group. In this stage,
collecting provides an outlet for the human need to be a part of a
community. Meetings are held to discuss holograms, newsletters emerge and
museums are started, and the framework is created within which a supply
and demand can exist. This stage cannot develop and stabilize unless the
collectible is rich and complex. Challenge and foundations for discussions
are vital.
Holograms as collectibles have passed through stage three and have just
entered stage four. In the fourth stage, two major changes occur. The
number of collectors expands rapidly creating a demand, and the
collectible acquires a market value that is unrelated to its original
purpose. Secondly, entrepreneurs recognize a business potential because
the number of collectors is sufficient to produce a reliable and long-term
growing customer base. Brokers, organizers, critics, promoters,
appraisers, and maybe even collectors can make money as long as the number
of collectors is increasing. Hologram brokers can be found in many
countries and there are also many World Wide Web sites where holograms can
be purchased (and sold?).
Once so many collectors enter the activity that the demand becomes too
large for the original supply sources, different types of entrepreneurs
and collectors emerge. The collectible is emulated and manufactured solely
for the purpose of collecting. The values of the new additions to the
genre are almost totally controlled by the manufacturers. Collectibles
such as stamps, baseball cards, dolls, plates, etc., passed through this
stage many years ago. Some collectibles successfully created by
manufacturers begin with this stage. With a few exceptions, holograms have
not entered this stage.
In stage six (maturity) the manufacturing company and other sources become
stable and financially capable, and larger companies virtually without
financial limits, recognize and enter the market. When this happens, the
vast new supply capacity can saturate the market and the new additions to
the collectible pool are essentially worthless until the manufacturer
ceases producing. The serious collector must now become much more
sophisticated and discriminating. Collecting becomes more challenging and
rewarding than ever, though sometimes frustrating. How this stage evolves
is critical to the growth and survival of the collectible genre. Most of
the people who want to collect because they consider this a good
investment begin to drop out. How do you convince someone that a mass
produced product that costs almost nothing to manufacture will be in such
demand that it will be worth something in the future?
If the collectible survives and grows through stage six, other
entrepreneurs will discover ways to imitate (stage 7) the original genre
to capitalize on the ever-increasing number of new collectors who can be
stolen away from the original genre. For example, when baseball card
collecting became so widespread, many large companies began producing vast
numbers of collectible baseball cards. The process was imitated in cards
with movie stars, hockey players, cartoon characters, TV characters,
singers, and even fishermen. This quickly reduced the growth rate of
collectors of baseball cards.
Stage eight (saturation of the public) occurs when so many collectibles of
roughly the same type exist that anyone can have as many as he so desires
with little expense and effort. A stage 8 collectible (e.g., newly minted
stamps and coins) can still be fascinating though not to be considered a
moneymaking investment.
The Positive Aspects of Holograms as Collectibles
Holograms can be collectible as cards, stickers, stamps, money, magazine
covers, advertisements, packaging, jewelry, works of art as well as many
other classes. They possess fascinating characteristics as well as natural
features that protect their rarity. Many early holograms, produced in
relatively small numbers, and many first edition holograms are still
available for little or no cost. These are not likely to be produced
again; the cost to do so is prohibitive and many of them, such as magazine
covers, are trademarked and dated. Getting the first hologram magazine
cover, the first hologram greeting card, the first hologram baseball card,
and so on, is achievable at the present time by almost anyone. This state
of affairs will be true only for the next few years after which the cost
of such acquisitions will be prohibitive, comparable to the cost of
acquiring the first baseball card, or even the first photograph.
Counterfeiting is virtually impossible or at least not economical. For
instance, the halt of production of Agfa photography plates in 1997
automatically limits the number of Agfa-based holograms in existence.
Since holograms are not language specific, they can be universal and will
be equally collectible in all countries. Collecting, storing, displaying,
categorizing and identifying possibilities are almost ideal. A collector
who begins collecting holograms today can almost certainly be guaranteed a
good return financially, if not for himself, at least for his
grandchildren. A fine collection of today’s holograms in the hands of
tomorrow's grandchild can, as a minimum, be equated to having a fine
collection of early 19th century photographs today.
Holographic art
Holographic art exists in the forms of original unique pieces, limited
editions, collages, sculptures, and installations, and can be mixed with
all other media. It has risen and fallen in popularity several times in
several countries and continues a struggle for recognition. The numbers of
serious holographic artists, galleries and collectors is still extremely
limited. The number of serious holographic artists in the entire world
hovers around 100. Most of the first generation of holographic artists are
still alive and few are truly well known outside a narrow community at
present. The medium is not widely accepted by the fine arts community for
many reasons. Experience has convinced me that science has largely gotten
in the way of the widespread acceptance of holographic art. Many artists
feel the need or desire to become scientists, the art is contaminated by
the science, and art lovers are frightened, turned off, distracted or even
intimidated by the science. Science tends to make gimmickry and cuteness
out of holograms, which can be distracting from the art itself. To be
widely accepted as an art form, holographic art must be collectible
because of its art value, not simply because of novelty. In promoting
holographic art, one of my objectives as a holographic scientist (who
loves art) is to separate the science from holographic art and concentrate
on the art itself. The discussion here will reflect this strategy.
Almost anyone who sees a holographic art piece immediately asks, “How does
it work?” Curiously, the same person rarely asks that question when
looking at a painting, perhaps because he already knows vaguely how a
painting is made, or perhaps because he accepts that one does not need to
know how art is made. After failing to satisfy many viewers, I finally
realized that art viewers are not asking for a scientific answer. Here
then is an artist’s answer to that question.
Holograms are made somewhat like photographs; however, laser light is used
(except for computer generated holograms). The unique properties of laser
light allow the artist to capture and reproduce all of the optical
information in a scene so that we can look at the complete realistic 3-D
scene again in the hologram. Holography enables manipulating light and
color more directly than photography.
For a more complete answer the reader is referred to articles on
critiquing holographic art in the MAGHIC Gallery.
The medium of holography provides almost limitless possibilities to an
artist. Holograms deal with light rays directly without the use of
absorbing and reflecting pigments, so images and colors can be much richer
and brighter. The full three spatial dimensions are available for use,
plus time. Scenes can be produced that are completely impossible with any
other medium, even sculpture. Moreover, with modern lighting, the display
of holographic art is no more complicated than that of a conventional
painting. The availability today of good, low cost lighting for hologram
display is a fortuitous but major breakthrough for collectors. The modern
tungsten-halogen, high-intensity lamp is precisely what was needed by the
field to make display practical. Before such lamps were available, the
choices were expensive and cumbersome. Most available lamps were too
extended to create a sharp image.
The appearance of holograms is much affected by rapidly evolving
technique. The techniques for recording and processing, the chemistry,
bleaching methods and the optimization procedures are in a high but still
rapidly developing state. Artists publish some of the procedures while
others are being kept secret and proprietary. Consequently, the technical
quality of a holographic work of art can vary drastically from one artist
to another, simply because the superior techniques and the superior
materials are not yet available to or even known by all artists. Holograms
sometimes have a technical signature over and above that of the artist
thereby limiting who could have produced the piece. Like photography, this
art form often employs a separate specialist to create the work for the
artist and the technical quality of the final product may have nothing to
do with the artist. The artist may not even know how the final work was
created. This does not, however, rule out the possibility of the artist
and technician being the same person. The technology and vocabulary of
holographic art will likely be in a rapid development period for at least
another twenty or thirty years.
The technology involved in holographic art is much more complex than that
of most other art forms. It involves elements of the most advanced fields
of physics, including optics, quantum mechanics, chemistry, lasers and
others. Consequently, the technical quality of today's holographic art
varies drastically from one artist to another.
Examples of Collectible Holograms
Examples of holograms and a complete discussion and critique of these are
included in the Critique Section. These include limited edition art works,
simple holographic images, and portraiture. Portraiture served as a
primary use, and moneymaking task, of art beginning with the Renaissance.
Artists who could glorify the patron stayed fully booked. Portraiture is
almost certainly to become a primary use of holography and it is truly
amazing that this has not already happened. Where else can one obtain an
image that is just as real as the actual person staring from behind a
window? Boone has been one of the most prolific holographic portrait
artists in the world having made portraits of kings, queens, astronauts,
AND……………the author. Having a portrait of Boone in one’s collection will
some day be like having a self-portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci.
More recently, Ron and Bernadette Olsen have taken the lead in holographic
portraiture with their gallery “Laser Reflections” in San Francisco. They
now routinely produce portraits on a regular basis, including celebrities,
politicians, playmates and ordinary people who want more than a
photograph. They have developed and/or adopted efficient and high quality
processes that repeatedly produce holograms of high technical quality. One
of their projects, known as BACH for Bay Area Center for Holography is
intended to provide a laboratory where artists can work without having to
develop their own technology. This should offer an incentive to the
artists who would like to explore the medium, but who have not been able
to afford or learn the required technology. This should also provide a new
source of collectibles for serious collectors.
Summary and Conclusions
We have shown how holograms fall within a collector’s framework, placing
them in a stage that is still early enough to allow much growth potential
as well as potential for collectors. Many first edition holograms and
works from first generation artists are still affordable. This is an
opportunity for anyone to be a part of the birth of an art form. The field
of holography will continue to have ups and downs but is almost certain to
evolve eventually into a factor in the art world. The art form is more
complex but also has more to be enjoyed because the medium offers the
artist an ability to communicate with the viewer that is not available in
any other art form. . You may not become a holomillionaire, but if you
become a holographile, your grandchildren will.
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