The “art” of reproduction

For those of you who use web searches extensively for your lectures or presentations, check out the post “The Art Of Reproduction” on the blog Visual Hint — the color of data:

“Type “Danae Klimt” into your favorite search engine, and you conjure up a high-resolution image of Gustav Klimt’s Danaë: tan limbs, a shower of gold, red hair.”

“Or did you find pink limbs? Or were they gray or even green? There’s the rub: the seemingly perfect museum holds dozens of Danaës—with dozens of different palettes. Even the shape changes as reproductions are subtly cropped.”

“Curious just how far reproductions stray from each other, we began an investigation. (Go directly to the results if you like.) For a set of famous artworks, we downloaded all the plausible copies we could find. Then we wrote software to reconstruct each artwork as a mosaic, a patchwork quilt where each patch comes from an individual copy.”

hat tip: Nancy Alexander

In case you miss 35mm slides and projectors

you can now (sort of ) replicate the experience of slides, carousels and projectors – AND carry it in your pocket.  There’s a daft new product called Projecteo! that projects Instagram photos (which have been transferred to a film reel).  Get in on the ground floor of investment with this amazing technology now!  (This itty bitty projector will be on the market soon.)

New online resource for Gothic architecture

The team at the Media Center for Art  History at Columbia University have, over the past five years, put together a wonderful catalogue of photos, drawings, and plans of French Gothic architecture.  The site, Mapping Gothic France, lets the end user explore the content through the dimensions of Space, Time and Narrative.  The site also includes interactive maps, panoramas, and plans that show the angle and position of each photo.  And – the tools allow the user to do building comparisons (e.g. by nave height, aisle width, floor plan, elevation, and more).   A really wonderful use of new technologies.

3D printing to produce … a house?

Red Dot does not pretend to understand how 3D printers work, although we’re trying hard.  It’s just all so sci-fi.

Using this additive process, designers have figured out ways to apply the technology to clothing and jewelry design, industrial design, medical and dental devices, and much more.  You can see many applications, from simple to advanced, and from frivolous to useful, on the site Thingiverse.

In a recent article in CNet, we learned that Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars is hoping to soon produce the Landscape House (below).  The 3D printer will process sand and a binding agent into 20′x30′ building blocks.

If you want to learn more about 3D printing, you might watch this 15 minute Ted Talk video primer.

Thinglink – a new way to make images interactive

Thinglink is a new tool that lets you add multiple interactive elements to an image or page.   It could be very useful, for example, in linking websites, photos or events to a map (click the map below for an example).   It is used a lot in filmmaking and advertising, but has potential in educational uses.  It is apparently fairly easy to use, and there are some good examples and tips on the website.   If you try it out, please share your examples!

Rijksmuseum launches its collection digitally in Rijksstudio

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam now offers RijksStudio, a vast and ground-breaking online presentation of 125,000 works in its collection. The site, which is a “prelude” to the physical museum’s reopening April 13, 2013, contains high resolution images with which users “can do whatever they like”: create your own printed creations or collect and share image sets. If you’re bored merely searching or browsing the collection, try the Master Matcher, which creates sets based on selected criteria groups like cities, character types and colors. All these projects can be created only when you register for your own “studio.”

IRC workshop this Friday: Photoshop I

The third workshop offered through the IRC this quarter will take place on Friday, November 16, from 3-4pm in Ellison 1811.  The topic is “Photoshop I – Simple Editing Tools and Tips for Better Digital Images.”

This workshop will cover overviews of common image file types and sizes, how to improve lighting, color and clarity, as well as simple ways to insure your metadata stays with your image. If you have a specific question or topic request, please send it to Christine (christinef-h@hfa.ucsb.edu). The IRC will offer a “Photoshop II” workshop next quarter, which will cover more advanced tools.

Two Picassos for the price of one

There is an item in the New York Times today about how infrared photography revealed a portrait of a man with a mustache painted on the canvas before Picasso painted Woman Ironing.  The painting was recently cleaned and the ghost portrait is quite clear.

And the NYT employs some nifty technology to illustrate it: Rotate the canvas upside down, and move your mouse over the surface to reveal the image below.  They also give some clues about who the man in the portrait could be.

Experience the documenta 13 3D tour

For those who were unable to get to Kassel, Germany this summer for documenta 13, here’s your chance to virtually experience installations at all venues. The 360°-Tour offers participants numerous ways to navigate the vast system of projects: by visitor’s favorites (with accompanying video), by a room-by-room “walk through” of each venue, by individual works of art chosen from a map, or by artist. Additional projects are web based.

hat tip to Laurie Monahan

More Google news: The World Wonders Project

Google’s World Wonders Project, together with partners UNESCO and World Monuments Fund among others, offers armchair travelers an opportunity to experience the built environment in far flung places throughout the globe. The project, once again utilizing Street View, is searchable by location or theme. Additionally, many sites feature videos and user-submitted photography.