Visual iAlign Sculpture

You’ve read the introduction to my Shadow Sculpture.  (If not, click here).  Now, let’s turn to a related concept, Visual iAlign Sculpture.  For these sculptures, the image is seen directly by your eye – not as a cast shadow.

What’s in a name?  The name Visual iAlign Sculpture arises because this style of sculpture is designed so that the image comes into focus, to the unaided eye, when the viewer is standing in a specific location relative to the sculpture.

I got into the concept of Visual iAlign because of a couple of realizations:  (1) that the image in a Shadow Sculpture could be seen when the eye is located where the Shadow Sculpture light source is, and (2) it makes the installation simpler if the light source is not needed.

Here’s an example:  the Welcome Wave Bench.  Later I’ll give the full explanation for this piece.  For now, the important point is that the word “Welcome” comes into focus in a specific viewing location.  When you’re not at that location, the word is out of focus, jumbled.

Another example is Dancing Under the Moon.  Again, when you’re in the right position, the image of the dancers comes into focus.

A Shadow Sculpture can be a Visual iAlign Sculpture:  you have to stand and view the Shadow Sculpture from the same place that the light source would be.

One difference between Shadow Sculptures and Visual iAlign Sculptures is that I usually design Shadow Sculptures to look like something specific, but then cast a different shadow.  Visual iAlign Sculptures are usually more abstract when viewed off-axis.

These are all fun to work on, giving me lots of interesting problems to solve.

Join me for a tour of some of the ideas and works that I’ve made in this style.