by Tony Karp

Art in the 3rd Dimension
The evolution from flat to solid

This video is an inside look at the steps along the path to creating art in the 3rd dimension.
The Spirit of Divisionism, 3d printing, art in the 3rd dimension, Frisson Studio - Here's the original image - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
Here's the original image

This short animation is actually my first documentary. As a young filmmaker, it's important to work on expanding my oeuvre. The film shows the steps involved in projecting an image into the 3rd dimension.

In working with this new art form, I start with one of my existing images. I call the one above "The Spirit of Divisionism." It began as a photograph of a statue at the National Gallery in Washington DC. I took the image out of the photographic world and into a world where pictures are composed of shapes, filled with solid colors or, in this case, shades of grey. That's why I call this technique "Divisionism." If you move back from the picture, it will suddenly change into a more realistic image.

So, while looking through my pictures to choose ones that I think will be interesting when projected into the 3rd dimension, this one caught my eye.

I had been working on the idea of creating boxes from my pictures, and this one presented a unique opportunity. Instead of making a conventional box, with straight or rounded edges, I would carve away at this image to accentuate the shape of the face before moving it into the 3rd dimension. This produced a piece that could only have been produced on a 3D printer.

In the video, I trace the progress of this picture, starting with a conventional two dimensional image and ending with a piece that looks impossible to make but, at the end of the video, will actually exist.

So watch the video and you will see the creative process in action.
Animation by Frisson Studio - copyright 2014

Copyright 1957-2023 Tony & Marilyn Karp